Oddest Taxi Ride Ever
by BlueAsh666
Summary: Wire just wants to get out of her gang. She didn't expect too much to happen when she got into a random taxi. Maybe the taxi driver would call the cops, sure. But she didn't expect to end up helping two aliens save the world. Seth/OC PLEASE don't read this. Everyone, just DON'T. I keep this around for the memories, and it's so EMBARASSING DO NOT READ
1. Prologue

**Author's Note- **

**Feel free to skip this part. I just had to get a few things out of the way and explained first. I've never been very good at beginnings.**

I grunted as my feet hit the sidewalk and I felt a stab of pain run up my legs. As it faded, I walked along the wall, slouched over as I tried to make as little noise as possible. If anyone saw me, I probably looked like I was breaking out of a prison or something. And, in a way, I kinda was.

Let me stop a minute and get a few things explained. I'm Carrie 'Wire' Elyswyer. It's pronounced "Ellis-way-er". Kind of a weird last name, I know. I'm almost sixteen and half Asian, from my mom's side, so my eyes are kind of squinty. I have dark brown, almost black hair, with light brown eyes. My dad used to say that they were like' pools of the richest milk chocolate' or some crap like that. I have dark shadows under my eyes, and my left eye squints a little more than the right one because of an almost-but-still-not-quite-gone black eye. No one notices it unless I take off my glasses. I'm pretty damn scrawny. I don't have much meat on my bones, but what little meat I have, is muscle.

I used to live with my dad. He was a good guy. Real nice, always supportive of me. He was one of the only people that didn't think I was a failure just because I got bad grades. I understood everything we learned, I just didn't do the work. I thought it was a waste of time and energy, so I just didn't do it. I was too focused on other things, and writing things I already knew just didn't appeal to me. If I was called on in class to answer a question, I just stared at them blankly. Everyone but Dad thought I was an idiot, and after he died from a drunk driver, I started to believe them.

But then, a mother I've never heard of appears out of nowhere and took me in. At first, she was really nice, and got me lots stuff. Swords, guns, video games... It was nice, really, but… all I really wanted to have was a mom. That's it. I didn't really need all that stuff…

After a while, she made me go somewhere with her. Had me meet a bunch of people, made me do stuff in front of them. I had to show off my shooting skills, and my fighting skills. I suspected something was up, but I didn't question it. I didn't really care either, to be honest. After that she took me home, and left for a few days. When she came back, she told me about how she was the leader of a gang, and she thought I would make a great addition. I didn't really want to, and for once, I voiced my opinion out loud, but… I didn't have a choice. As it turns out, I _never_ had a choice.

So, I was forced into this gang, The Steel Guns. I had nowhere else to go, no reason to leave, so I stayed. I trained; I helped them rob stores; I fixed guns and made sure all the weapons were in working shape. It was a mind-numbing experience. But then I met Jason. He was one of the gang member's kids. He was only seven, but god, I loved that little kid. He made me happy. And my mother, Jae, she just _could not_ allow that. So she killed him. She killed him right in front of me. I decided I had enough. I left her a note, Telling her I was done with her and the stupid gang, and that she could go fuck herself and die for all I cared. And then, I ran away, with a Kukri knife strapped to my belt, a revolver with one bullet, a backpack filled with a few photos, a canteen filled with ice-cold water, a guitar pick, two empty book, a few pencils, two hundred dollars, and Jason's stuffed dog, and the clothes on my back; a black tank top under a plain white t-shirt, a black and white striped zip-up hoodie, dark gray jean, and my Converse All Stars.

The sun would be coming up soon. It was an almost five mile walk to Vegas. I had a long way to go, and I knew it. But as I walked away from that damned warehouse, and that stupid gang, I felt better than I had felt since… since before Dad died.


	2. Chapter 1

I yelped as a bullet grazed my cheek.

"I said I was done, and I meant it!"I yelled over my shoulder as I cut through an alley way onto another street. The door slam and yell behind me told me that Mother was following. I wouldn't be able to outrun her… I was tired, and every breath of air was a struggle. So I did something really stupid and reckless. I got into a random taxi.

I ripped open the door and literally jumped inside.

"Drive!" I yelled as I shut the door. The taxi driver started to object, but when bullets were fired towards his taxi, he yelled at passengers behind him to get down and sped off. I gasped for breath and clutched my burning chest. I rubbed my burning cheek to find blood on my fingers. I cursed under my breath as I took a rag I found in my pocket and held it to the cut before I allowed myself to relax, just a bit. I looked at the taxi driver apologetically, and with mild curiosity. He had closely shaven hair and stubble. He was surprisingly muscular for a taxi driver, and tanned skin. He looked at the mirror, and seeing that he wasn't being followed glared at me. Which was understandable.

"What the hell was that?" He yelled as he drove. I grimaced and shoved the rag back into my pocket. "You better tell me what that was, or I'm pulling this car over, and kicking you out!" He threatened. I groaned in irritation.

"Okay, look. I've been trying to leave this… group. And they don't want to let me go, so their kind of… after me." I said slowly, avoiding his eyes by staring at the dashboard. I really hope this guy is stupider than he looks…

"You mean a gang." He corrected. I winced. Hopes- crushed. He got it. I nodded.

"Before you kick me out-"I started, "I never even wanted to join it in the first place! I've been thinking of a plan to leave ever since I joined, But something happened and- and that cut the ribbon for me. I _could not_ be there anymore, not without past ghosts coming to haunt me. Let me stay on for a little bit, just long enough so that I'll be far enough ahead to not have to worry about them coming around the corner- please! I'll give you all the money I have, just let me sit here for a few minutes, and catch my breath before I start coughing up my lungs!"

Wow. That sounded desperate, even to me. And I said it…

Yeah… I should get ready to be kicked out now… I chanced a quick look at the driver. He looked conflicted, before giving a tired sigh.

"Where are your parents?" He asked me. My chest squeezed uncomfortably.

"The lady that was following and shooting at me? That was my mom. She was the one who made me join the stupid gang, so if it's possible, I'd like to avoid her." I mumbled as I cracked my knuckles. A bad habit I do when I'm uncomfortable.

The taxi driver looked back at the road, mumbling something about 'why me?' before glancing back at me.

"What about your dad?" I gritted my teeth as my heart clenched painfully. I looked ahead blankly.

"He's dead."

"O-oh…" He looked around awkwardly. He glanced at me, his eyes considerably softer. "Sorry kid…" I shrugged.

"I'm Jack." He said as he watched the road.

"Carrie Elyswyer. Just call me 'Wire'." I said with a weak smile

"Where ya headed?"He asked. I shrugged again.

"Nowhere in particular." I said. I looked in the backseat to see two kids around my age. One girl, one boy. They had similar features, so I figured they were related. And _goddamn_ were they beautiful. It almost looked alien or something. They were both pale and blonde; the girl had warm, sky blue eyes and a small smile, and the guy had cold, ice blue eyes as he glared at me. Well, isn't he just a big bucket of sunshine? The girl gave a small giggle and Mr. Friendly looked at her curiously before glaring back at me.

"Sorry about the uh… you know… That."I said sheepishly to the girl. I would have said it to the guy too, if he didn't look like he might attack me if I said something to him. "I didn't mean to put you in danger." I stifled a yawn as I felt the adrenaline leave me. "I'll be out of your hair soon."

"It is fine. It was just a minor delay. I am Sara." She said with a smile before gesturing to Mr. Friendly, "This is my brother, Seth" Wow… she talks like a fucking dictionary, or royalty.

"I'm Carrie. Call me 'Wire'." I slid back into my seat with a sigh and took off my glasses, rubbing my face. I cleaned my glasses before fiddling with them. Exhaustion began to cloud my mind, and I was almost asleep when Jack spoke up.

"You look tired Kid." He said as he glanced at me. I snorted.

"Yeah, most tend to look tired after they've gone thirty-ish hours without sleep…" I said with a small smile as I rubbed my eyes.

"Why don't you sleep for a bit?" He suggested softly. I grimaced. Tempting, but I needed to stay alert.

"Thanks, but it would probably be best if I stayed-"

"The vehicles behind us are showing a pattern of pursuit." Sara said in alarm. I looked back at the two of them. Seth looked grim. I looked at the mirror to see two silver trucks with darkened windows gaining on us.

"Aw shit." I groaned. How did they find me? Fucking Jae, man!

"Who's Jae, Carrie?" Sara asked me. What the-

"How did you know that?" I asked in alarm as I turned to look at her. Before she could even begin to answer I turned back to open my backpack, grumbling curses under my breath. Right now, all that mattered was stopping Jae and her damned gang before someone got hurt. Jack, Sara, Seth … shouldn't have to deal with this. It's _my _problem, not theirs. If they got hurt, because of me… I don't want to think about it. I got out the revolver. Jack looked at the gun in alarm.

"Woah, woah! What are you doing?"He yelled.

"Making sure you guys don't get hurt." I said.

Jack was about to respond when a bullet skid over the roof of the taxi.

"Get down!" I yelled.

I rolled down the window. I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked at the gun. I only had one bullet in it… I had wanted to save it, incase Jae ever caught me. I would rather die than go back. Jason would haunt my dreams again if I did…

The short scream from Sara snapped me out of my thoughts. A bullet broke the side mirror. I ripped off my seatbelt and sat up in my seat.

"What are you doing- Get down!" Jack yelled at me. I waved him off and lodged my foot under the seat so I–hopefully-wouldn't fall out if we hit a bump, before hanging out the window. I could hear Jack and Sara yelling at me about coming back in, but I ignored them. I inhaled through my nose and took aim. I squeezed the trigger and…

The truck's tire exploded and the truck swerved to the side. The other truck that was following swerved to the other side to avoid hitting the truck in front of it. I felt a relieved grin slip on my face as I watched smoke come out of one of the trucks, before someone dragged me back in.

I relaxed into the seat as Jack yelled at me. I'm pretty sure Seth was yelling at me too. I couldn't bring myself to care too much at the moment.

"As soon as we get to a town, you are _out_ of this cab- Do you hear me?" Jack screamed as he glanced back at the two kids in the back to see if they were okay. I nodded.

"Yeah, that would… probably be best." I said slowly."I'm sorry for putting you guys in danger." I scratched my neck awkwardly as Jack silently fumed in his seat.

It must've only been thirty to forty minutes before something _else_ happened.

"Jack Bruno! There are more vehicles behind us that are showing a pattern of pursuit!" Sara said, sounding more alarmed than last time. Jack looked in his rearview mirror with furrowed eyebrows as I turned in my seat to look out the back window.

"There's no vehicles following…" He trailed off as he saw trucks coming over the hill.

"At your rate of speed versus theirs, they will overtake our vehicle in less than one minute."Seth said warningly. Jack waved him off.

"Relax, kid. I'm just gonna let them pass." He said. He slowed down and looked in the rearview mirror again. The trucks were right behind us now. I gritted my teeth. This didn't feel good. I had a feeling something was gonna go down, fast. But it couldn't be the Steel Guns, so… who were they? Jack rolled down the window.

"Open road people!"He said exasperatedly, waving his arm forward, signaling them to go, "It's all yours!" One of the SUVs moved forward, moving in front of us.

"See, what did I tell you?" He said, "Nobody's following us. I'm the king of these roads!" He was cut off by Sara.

"Jack Bruno!" She yelled. He looked forward to see them cut us off. Just then, one of the trucks rammed into us, sending us spinning. Jack just barely got the car to stop spinning, narrowly missing the SUV. Now I knew for _sure_, these guys weren't the Steel Guns. They weren't smart enough to pull a move like that.

"I said I was out, and I meant it!" Jack cried as he drove. I looked at him with narrowed eyes. What the… He was trying to get away from a gang too, wasn't he? Fucking hypocrite!

"Who is Mr. Wolfe, Jack Bruno?" Sara asked, sounding, understandably, scared. He glanced back at her.

"How did you know that?" He asked, before being cut off by one of the trucks ramming into the back of the taxi. I grunted as I threw my arms out to avoid hitting my face on the dashboard.

"Get down, now!" He yelled at us. Two of the trucks were ramming into the side of the taxi as I gritted my teeth, feeling regret for only putting one bullet in my revolver. Jack started ramming the trucks that were on either side of us.

"Hold on." Jack warned before slowing down, ramming into the truck behind us and then the one to the side and off of the road. As another truck swerved to avoid hitting, he sped up, ahead of them.

"Jack Bruno, it would appear we have not eluded them." Sara warned. I looked back to see one SUV still following us.

"Stubborn bastards." I muttered as Jack gave an exhausted sigh.

"I'm so over this. Stay down! Stay down!" He yelled.

I heard Sara and Seth saying something to each other, but all I could make out was something about danger, and having to try. I glanced back to see Seth gone. I choked on my spit. What the- Where did he go? I looked out the window to see Seth. Standing in the middle of the road! What the fuck- how did he even get out! Not only that, but was standing in front of the SUV! What- is he suicidal? I looked away. I didn't want to see him get hit by the truck.

But then, the truck started to stop, and then back up. I looked at Jack in alarm.

"What in the hell are doing?" I asked Jack.

"It's not me!" He cried in frustration. The taxi stopped right in front of the now crashed SUV. Wait… crashed? What the hell happened to it?

"You guys okay?" Jack asked.

"We are…" Sara started, trailing off uncertainly.

"-Fine." Seth answered, out of breath. Wait… WHAT THE FUCK? I looked back to see Mr. Sunshine-and-Suicide himself! I gaped at the two kids, looking between them.

"We should just… keep. Moving." Seth said in between breaths. Jack ignored him and ripped off his seatbelt, leaving the car, telling us to stay inside. As soon as he was out, I exploded.

"What the fuck-_HOW_ the fuck-You-I saw-B-but how did you get in here-you were out there-suicidal-what- WHAT?" I spluttered as Sara and Seth looked at me curiously. I shook my head, as if that would clear my thoughts. "I saw you!"I said, "You were outside somehow, about to be squished like a fucking pancake by that truck! How are you still living?" I said in alarm. Quickly I reached back and poked his cheek. Nope. He wasn't a ghost. "How are you still alive?" I repeated, glaring at him.

Sara opened her mouth to say something, but Jack came back in the car, slamming the door shut and driving off. I glared at them one last time before turning back to the front. This wasn't over. I was going to get some answers.

"How are you guys holding up?" Jack asked after driving for a few minutes.

"We're fine." Sara said softly. He glanced back at the two of them.

"I'm sorry I dragged you two into all of this." He said. I felt a bit of guilt as he said that. Two gang encounters in one day… And Sara and Seth… Maybe I should've just used the bullet when I saw Jae was after me, instead of jumping in a cab and making them have to deal with my shit…

"There's no need for you to apologize. You're not always the one to blame." Sara said softly. As I felt the eyes stare into the back of my head, I had a feeling she wasn't _just_ talking to Jack.

"But the urgency of our trip has not decreased." Seth cut in. I rolled my eyes. That guy needs to relax, just a bit. I don't care if you're in the process of saving the planet, you should never keep your focus entirely on just that. People matter too.

"Don't worry," Jack assured them, "I'll get you two where you need to go. You've earned it." I glanced back at them. Maybe so, but I _think_ I've earned some answers as well. And I'll be damned if I don't get them before this is all over.


	3. Chapter 2

The sun was just starting to set, and we were driving on a dirt road when Sara perked up.

"We're here Jack Bruno." Sara said. I looked around, but I didn't see anything. Jack voiced my thoughts.

"Here?" He asked, "There's nothing here." As we came over the hill, I saw an old abandoned house.

"Is this it?" I asked as I turned to look at Seth. He nodded and I looked back, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Somebody's expecting you two, right?" Jack asked, "It doesn't look like anyone is home…" Sara smiled.

"Don't worry, Jack Bruno. We'll soon be reunited with relatives." She said. Jack pulled to a stop in front of the house and leaned back with a sigh.

"Okay. Seven hundred and twenty dollars and fifty cents." Jack said, "But after everything that went down today, how about I knock off twenty-five percent, and I also-"Jack was cut off by Seth shoving a huge wad of cash into Jack's hand.

"Here." Seth said shortly before leaving the car after Sara, running into the house. I looked at Jack with raised eyebrows. He looked back at me and shrugged before turning his attention to the money in his hand.

"Okay then." He muttered, "Goodbye to you, too."

"That was polite…" I said sarcastically as I watched the door slam shut. Jack snickered.

'Yeah, tell me about it…" He mumbled. "Five hundred percent tip… That's reasonable, isn't it?" I snorted. He looked at the money before sighing and taking off his seat belt and getting out of the taxi, yelling that they overpaid. By a lot. I followed suit and opened the door, finally getting for the first time in... a while. I stretched and watched as Jack looked at the state of his car.

"Unbelievable." He muttered before. I nodded in agreement. We heard a crash in the house and looked at each other. I shrugged before walking towards the house, Jack trailing behind me. I heard him ask if everything was okay in there as I got to the door. I looked back at the cautious Jack.

"C'mon, let's go in. What's the worst that could happen?" I asked with a small smile, nodding towards the door. Jack sighed again before coming up the steps to me. I grinned and opened the door, looking inside, and it… Well… It was a mess.

"Hello?" Jack asked cautiously. I walked into the house, with Jack following, leaving the door open. The closed suddenly and Jack quickly grabbed a chair leg and looked around as I put a hand on my kukri knife, Achilles. I knew we were probably paranoid, but I didn't really care. Paranoia's saved my life. It's never let me down before. We walked around and I felt something touch my leg. I let out a noise of surprise and slashed Achilles down towards whatever touched me. I looked down to see Seth and Sara. I clutched my racing heart.

"Fuck's sake!" I whispered as my heart slowed, "Are you trying to give me a heart attack? And get an arm cut off?" Jack came up behind me and looked at them with furrowed eyebrows.

"What just happened?" He asked. Seth jumped and motioned for him to be quiet, before tugging me down. Jack followed suit as I watched Sara and Seth cautiously.

"Carrie and Jack Bruno, you should not have jeopardized your life by following us." Sara said quietly as Seth looked at some blue phone thing. I looked at her concernedly. Jeopardize our life? What now?

"What sort of trouble are you two in?" Jack asked them. Seth looked up at us.

"I suggest you two return back to the vehicle. Your services are no longer required." He said warningly. Sara frowned and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Seth, they're just trying to help." She said softly. Seth turned to her.

"We do not need their help." He murmured to her. "Someone's already been looking for it. We simply cannot trust any of them. Just us, Sara." Sara frowned but nodded before turning to me and Jack

"We appreciate your efforts to assist us. But my brother is right. We can involve you two no further." She said gently. Seth's phone beeped and he jumped up.

"Got it!" He said. Sara nodded.

"Let's go." She said. I resisted the urge to groan. What the fuck?

"Hey," Jack started, "Just tell me what's going on." I nodded in agreement, but they weren't paying attention.

"This way, "Seth said, "Hurry up Sara." I made a noise of displeasure and Jack groaned. Jack grabbed his chair leg and we both stood up, following them. They stopped in front of a fridge and I raised an eyebrow. It sounded like they were in some serious trouble, why are they stopping for a freaking snack? Sara glanced at me, and Seth opened the fridge, attaching his phone to the side of it. The phone beeped and some lights lit up on it.

"What is that?" Jack asked. Yeah, really. Because I want one someday. It looks cool. But, once again, we were ignored, and our question was left unanswered. The back of the fridge moved and slid away to reveal steps as I watched in awe.

"Secret underground tunnel… cool." I said softly to myself with a grin. Sara glanced at me, a smile tugging at her lips, before following her brother, who had taken off his phone and started down the steps.

"Woah, hey!" Jack cried out, trying to get them to stop. I looked back at Jack, halfway into the tunnel.

"Don't go in the pimped out fridge, Jack…" He said to himself slowly. I snickered before following after them, waving for Jack to move his ass. He followed behind me, holding his chair arm up and ready to swing, while I kept one hand on Achilles. Seth put his phone on a wall and pressed a few buttons. Once again, it beeped and some lights lit up. Seth removed it from the wall as it moved away, revealing yet another tunnel. Woopty fucking Doo. I followed Sara and Seth into it as Jack stayed behind me. We came to an opening and my eyes widened.

"Holy cheese on a fucking toaster…" I mumbled as I took in the sight. There were flourishing trees and ferns, with a few holes in the ceiling, letting in rays of light. It was… fucking beautiful.

"What is this place?" Jack asked. Once again, he was ignored. Seth's phone thing beeped and he moved forward.

"This way." He said. Sara followed him, as me and Jack stayed behind, still in awe. When we noticed they left without we snapped out of our stupor and followed them.

"Hey, slow down." Jack said as we caught up with them. Seth and Sara split up, and Jack and I looked at each other. We nodded in understanding, him following Sara, as I trailed behind Seth, to make sure they stayed out of trouble. Seth came to a big glob… thing. I'm not sure how to describe it. Colors lit up within it, and looked like it was… throbbing or pulsating or something.

"Sara, it's here!" Seth cried out as he looked at it in wonder, as did I. In wonder of what the hell it was. Sara ran up, and her eyes lit up as she stopped in front of it. She took off a necklace I hadn't even noticed she had on placed it on the blob. She waited a few seconds before putting her arm into it. And let me tell you… It looked and _sounded_ disgusting. There was this squelching noise and just… ugh. I can't imagine it to be a pleasant experience. She pulled out some weird little device. I've never seen anything like it. Sara smiled at her brother.

"What is it?" Jack asked. Sara looked up at him with a smile.

"It is what we came for, Jack Bruno." She said happily. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Is anyone else looking for it?" Jack asked, "Say the person who trashed everything upstairs?" Seth nodded.

"We think so. It is very valuable." Seth said, "Which is why it was vital that we reached it first." Oh shit, _that_ is something I never like to hear.

"What makes you so sure that whoever else wanted it isn't still looking for it?" I asked them. Seth furrowed his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side. Oh shit… He never thought of that, did he? Are we screwed-I think we are.

We heard a noise, and trees rustling as I felt dread bubble in my gut. Oh yeah, we're screwed! Jack shushed us and whispered for us to go. We all moved silently. I pulled out Achilles and got ready to start slashing. We heard a crash that was _far_ too close and Jack yelled at us to run. We all split up. I turned to look and saw Jack hit whoever was in here, and then he went flying. I gritted my teeth.

"Goddamnit it all!" I said between gritted teeth, before running up and stabbed him in the gut. Or rather… I tried to. I looked to see I hadn't made a scratch. I looked up to see the guy in some kind of weird armor and gulped. I gave a nervous laugh and tried to step away, but he punched me, and I was sent flying. I landed with a grunt and forced myself up, picking up Achilles from the ground. What the fuck- I hadn't made a scratch! I grumbled under my breath and then ran in some random direction, before sliding into some bushes. I waited a few moments before hearing an explosion that was a bit too close for comfort, and I had to bite my lip until it bled to keep from yelling out.

But, of course, Sara and Seth, _didn't_ keep quiet, and cried out.

"God fucking _DAMNIT_!" I cried exasperatedly before getting back on my feet and running towards the cries. I heard Sara cry out for Jack, who called to them. Then there were explosions, and things were suddenly up in flames. I saw Sara and Seth running through the trees and I ran to them.

"Go, go, go Sara!" Seth yelled as he ran. Something exploded right by us and we were flung back. I landed on my ass with a grunt, Achilles still in my hand. I helped Sara up before dragging Seth to his feet.

"C'mon!" I grunted as I pulled him up. Sara, who had ran ahead-for some stupid reason- and started calling for Jack, like the giant armored person just disappeared. Well… He didn't. And he shoved her, making her drop the device. She screamed for Seth as they struggled. Seth ran up to him but was shoved roughly to the ground. I gritted my teeth in frustration as Human Tank moved for the device, Sara did something and-I don't know how-made it come into her hand. Tank guy turned towards Sara, but was tackled to the ground by Jack before he could do anything. When they came up, Tank had Jack in a throat hold and I let out a battle-cry before charging at Tank and jumping on his back. I shoved Achilles into the guy's neck, where the least amount of armor was. He pushed Jack somewhere before backing up right into tree. I gasped as a broken branch dug into my back and resisted the urge to cry out in pain, focusing everything I had on digging my knife into this guy.

Of course, I'm only human, so very soon, the pain got to be too much, and I couldn't keep going, so I shoved him away as hard as I could with my legs. I fell to the ground with a grunt. As I struggled to get up, I saw black start to filter in my vision. I shook my head vigorously. I would _not_ pass out while this thing was trying to kill us. I looked up to see Tank guy get hit in the face with a big ball of fire, and then get flown into a tree. I felt a grin tug at my lips. Serves the bastard right.

"C'mon! We got to go!" Jack yelled. I got up with shaky arms and tried to shake away the black that was creeping into my eyes once again. I took a step, then collapsed.

"Ah shit." I groaned. I was going to die in an underground cave, burning to death. I heard burning to death is the most painful way to die, and I did _not _want to find out if it was true. More black started to filter through my vision, and I tried again to get up and haul ass out of there, but as I moved to stand up, pain flared from my back and I fell back to the ground.

"I don't wanna die this way…" I said weakly as I watched the fire slowly spread before glaring at the ground.

"Then don't"

I felt arms wrap around me and I looked up to see Seth. He picked me up and ran as I struggled weakly.

"Dude, c'mon. This is demeaning!" I grumbled. He glared down at me with piercing eyes.

"Would you rather burn to death?" He asked bluntly as we neared the door. I grimaced.

"No…" I mumbled. He nodded.

"That is what I assumed." He said as he rolled his eyes. He ran in and set me down, yelling at Jack to help me, before turning to close the door. Something must've happened, because there was a big explosion, and we all flew back. I groaned and forced myself up to look around.

"Is everyone okay?" I asked as I clutched my head. Damn, I need an aspirin…

"Seth!" Sara cried out. I looked to the side to see Seth lying on the floor. How in the hell did I miss that? Bah, whatever. I gritted my teeth and crawled towards him.

"Yo, Sunshine! Get up bro!" I said slapping his cheeks lightly. He didn't react so I checked his pulse. Yup, still there. Good, he's still alive.

"Jack, come and get Seth! He's out like a light and you need to carry him!" I called as Sara came rushed over. "Sara, help me up." I said holding up my hand. She pulled me up and I grunted. Jack came up and threw Seth over his shoulder and we ran out of the house. Ash was falling from the sky and there were random explosions. Not to mention my back still hurt like a bitch. It wasn't exactly my idea of a fun time. Jack put Seth in the back, and then we got into the car as fast as we could.

As Jack drove away I felt the pain come back with a vengeance. I bit back groan and shifted so that my back wasn't touching the back of the seat. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I turned to see Sara, looking concerned.

"Carrie, are you alright?" She asked gently. I blinked.

"Yeah… I'm okay." I said slowly. I mean, it kinda felt like my back was on fire, but whatever man. I don't think anyone noticed it. It's not like I was writhing on the ground in pain or anything. Sara threw me another concerned look before turning back to Seth, who was still out. Jack gave an exhausted sigh. Poor guy…

"How's your brother doing?" Jack asked.

"His system has the ability-"

"I will be fine." I jumped up in alarm and turned to see Seth, looking fine. What the nuts-That was quick! Yeesh. I expected him to be out longer. Fucker almost gave me a heart attack.

"It is important we gain much distance from this location." Seth said lowly. Jack glanced back at them.

"I'm happy you're feeling better," Jack said, "'Cause you're going to need your strength when you explain what just happened back there!" I looked back at them, to see Sara and Seth looking at each other uncertainly. Poor kids…

I sighed to myself before turning to Jack.

"Woah, time out Jack!" I said, "Let me go back there and make sure they're okay, and aren't traumatized or something before they start explaining! They're just kids, man." Jack glared at me, and I resisted the urge to shrink away. For a taxi driver, Jack could be really intimidating when he wanted to be.

"You're a kid too." Jack said pointedly. I shrugged. Jack sighed in defeat. "Fine. Make it quick." I grinned. I turned toward the siblings and made a scootch over motion before taking off my seat belt. I squeezed back between them and sat down, biting back a whimper when I moved wrong and rubbed my back against the seat. I exhaled and looked at Seth.

"Alright Sunshine, you're first." I said. Seth raised an eyebrow.

"Sunshine?" He asked as a small smile tugged at his lips. I smirked.

"Yup. Because of your bright and friendly personality." I said sarcastically. "But that's not important right now. So, is there anywhere that hurts more prominently than others?" He snorted but nodded, gesturing to his shoulder. I nodded and leaned closer feeling his upper arm for any breaks. I glanced up at him before moving on to feel a few of his ribs.

"You and your sister owe me, Sunshine. Think of something to say to Jack," I murmured, "Preferably something that will make him the least angry." He raised an eyebrow, before giving a small smile and a grateful nod. I grinned before leaning back.

"Nothing's broken. It's just some bruising. Take an aspirin, and you should be fine." I told him before turning to Sara. "How about you? Anything in particular hurt?" She gave me a small smile and shook her head.

"No, I am fine, thank you." She said softly. I nodded before turning to Jack.

"Alright, time in." I said. He nodded before pulling over onto the side of the road and turning to us.

"The cab doesn't move until your mouths do." Jack said firmly, "So start talking."

"The information you are seeking is not within your grasp of understanding." Seth said bluntly. Wow, talk about harsh. He might as well have just called him stupid. Sara cut in.

"We are dealing with issues outside the realm of… your world." She said gently. I raised an eyebrow. That's certainly an odd way of putting it.

"Hey, I'm a cab driver, Okay?"Jack said, "I've have had plenty of worldly experi… experiences…" Why did he trail off like that? I looked out the back window to see a blue-ish light coming towards us. What the...

"Sara! We have to go!"Seth cried in alarm. All the sudden the taxi started moving and Jack and I let out a curse. He turned to the wheel and I scrambled to get my seat belt on.

"What is it?" Jack asked. Once again… he was ignored. A missile or something exploded in front of the taxi and Jack yelled at us to hang on. We drove off the road and Jack yelled at us to hold on… Again. He pulled onto a train track and turned his headlights off. He drove us into a tunnel and then pulled to a stop. Sara looked at Sara.

"We can't let him destroy it Sara." Seth said lowly. Sara looked at her little device and nodded. Who in the hell is 'he'? Apparently Jack was thinking the same thing.

"Who is he?" Jack asked, "And this time I need real answers." Damn fucking straight! I looked at Sara, waiting for her to spill.

"It's a Siphon." Sara said. She sounded _really_ scared. I think… I think I should be worried. But what in the hell is that? Like a professional assassin or something?

"A what?" Jack asked.

"It's an assassin trained to pursue his target," Seth said slowly, "Until his mission is completed." Aw fuck, that does _not_ sound good. I was right. Why am I always right? I don't like being right! Goddamnit... And I have a feeling I know what his mission is…

"And his mission is?" Jack asked. Aw man, why would you ask that? I looked at Seth. He looked like he was trying not to be scared.

"Us." Seth said somberly… GODAMNIT! Right a-fucking-gain! Jack looked like he was going to say something, but he stopped when we all saw a blue light heading towards us. Everyone was still and Jack tightened his hold on the wheel. He reached one hand down to the keys and I gritted my teeth and tensed up.

As the light inched closer, Sara grabbed my hand and started squeezing the life out of it and Seth put his arm around my shoulder. It inched closer and closer… but then stopped. Literally inches away. And then it retreated. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and felt a small grin slip on my face.

"That… was close. We are _such_ lucky bitches…" I breathed. Jack nodded in agreement. Seth pulled back his arm back and Sara let my hand go, letting the blood flow back into it. Jack started the car again and then started driving again.

"Is there a safer route Jack Bruno?" Sara asked.

"Not unless you know how to fly." Jack said. I looked over the side to see a drop, and fog. On the other side of the taxi was a wall of rock. If the Siphon was smart, he would probably try to get us now, when we couldn't escape. I shook my head trying to clear the dark thoughts. Seth looked at me concernedly.

"Are you alright?" He asked softly. I grimaced.

"Yeah, yeah," I said slowly, with a nervous laugh, "I'm just thinking. I'm… I'm paranoid. Everything's going to be fine." I said it more to myself than to him, to be honest.

Suddenly, the blue light was back and a missile or something was shot at the back of the taxi. We were all lurched forward, and I started cursing myself. WHY AM I ALWAYS RIGHT? FUCK'S SAKE! The car lurched different directions as the Siphon shot at us. We drove into a tunnel, and the Siphon followed.

"You stubborn little fuck!" I yelled at the Siphon as Sara called for Jack. I know yelling at it wouldn't help us. And it probably couldn't even hear me. But it made me feel better. Shut up.

We heard a train horn and I gritted my teeth. I didn't ask for any of this! I just wanted to get away from my past life and shit-and now- I'm being chased by an assassin with a flying ship, and there's a shit load of explosions, and-and trains! DID I DO SOMETHING HORRIBLE IN A PAST LIFE OR SOMETHING?

"Faster! Faster!" Seth yelled at Jack. Jack groaned.

"It won't go any faster!" Jack cried in frustration. Seth yelled at Sara and she moved her hand out, and the car started pushing a hundred and thirty. Jack screamed at us to hold on and swerved to the left, just barely missing the train. The train hit the Siphon and it exploded. I grimaced as I thought of the guy who drove the train. Poor guy… That thought was shaken off when the caboose of the train flew up and narrowly missed the cab.


	4. Chapter 3

Jack was currently outside working on the cab, and Sara and Seth were discussing stuff, and I have _never_ felt more in the way than I do now.

"No, we cannot trust them." Seth said sternly.

"I know we can," Sara said, "We must." I made a face and shifted in discomfort. Sara paused and looked at me apologetically. "I apologize we are making you uncomfortable, Carrie." I grinned sheepishly.

"I can go up front if you want." I offered, even though I didn't really want to. She didn't need to know that though. I felt safer in the back than in the front. Always have. Don't know why though. Sara smiled at me.

"It is fine. You feel safer in the back." She said gently. I furrowed my eyebrows. How did she know that? I was about to ask, but Jack slammed the hood of the car down, cutting me off. Why is it that me and Jack never get any answers? Hell, I don't even get the chance to _ask_. He came back in laughing at something.

"We know you are frustrated, Jack Bruno-"Sara started, but Jack cut her off.

"No," Jack said," No more 'Jack Bruno this, Jack Bruno that.' I've been asking for answers-"

"You both already know the answers, Jack Bruno and Carrie." Sara said. Uh… No… not really. I figured that Sara and Seth have some fucking weird powers or some shit, but that's it. "My brother and I are indeed not from your planet." What? I looked at Jack, who had turned to look at me. He started laughing while I looked at Sara curiously. I raised an eyebrow.

"That's it? So that's it?" Jack laughed, "Mystery solved! You two want me to believe you're both aliens?" I shifted uncomfortably. Maybe Jack was rushing into this… I mean… They've been doing all this weird shit… I wouldn't just throw it out the window, no questions asked.

"It is the truth." Seth said.

"Really?" Jack asked, "Well, you don't look like aliens." I rolled my eyes. What, did he think aliens were going to look like little green men?

"What does an alien look like, Jack Bruno?" Sara asked curiously.

"You know what aliens look like!" Jack said, sounding just a tad bit hysterical, "Little green people, with antennas and laser guns and, 'Take me to your leader, Earthlings.' Ooh!" I snickered. Wow. Jack is a… Wow. He is an odd one… Jack looked at me. "Surely you don't believe them, right?" I grimaced. Yeah, thanks for throwing all the attention on me, Jack. I appreciate it. Not.

"I think…" I said slowly, "I think we should at least hear them out." Sara smiled at me gratefully and Jack made a noise of disbelief.

"Oh, come _on_." Jack said, "You really believe them?" I shrugged.

"You require some sort of proof." Sara said, turning to her brother, "He thinks we are insulting his intelligence." Jack snorted.

"You think?" He asked, "You just can't drop the 'We're Aliens.' bomb just like that on somebody! Now I know I've seen some pretty weird things today, but you can't expect me to believe that…" He trailed off as CDs, pens, money, and a pack of gum started floating in the air. I blinked.

"Am I…" I trailed off.

"No, you are not the only one seeing this, Carrie." Sara reassured me. I gave a small nod as I resisted the urge the freak out. No big deal… Things are just floating. Because I see stuff like that every day… sarcasm.

"I have the ability to move objects with my mind." Sara explained.

"That's… That's impossible." Jack said unsurely.

"No it's quite possible," Sara said, "On our planet as well as yours. You don't do it because you haven't learned to use your full brain capacity."

"No… I don't do it because it's kind of creepy," Jack said slowly, "And… I would really like you to stop." Amen to that, man. The things fell to the ground. Sara paused and her eyes widened.

"Jack Bruno!" She said in alarm. We all looked to see familiar blue-ish lights coming towards us. What the hell-I thought the Siphon died! Jack tried to start the cab, but it wouldn't start.

"Come on, come on! Start!" Jack yelled. Sara grabbed onto my hand and started squeezing, and Seth wrapped his arm around my shoulder. Somehow… this felt familiar.

The light got closer and closer, and the cab still wouldn't start. Just as it got to us…

It passed by, a horn going off. I gave a sigh of relief as Seth removed his arm and Sara let go of my hand. This has certainly been an interesting day…

Jack tried once again to start the car, and of course, it started fine. Because it just could _not_ do that while we were waiting to die. Ass hole of a car…

But, then again, we kind of deserved it. Poor car was probably about to crumple up and die at this point.

We drove into a small town and I felt my stomach twist uncomfortably. Jack told me he was going to make me leave when we got to the next town, and… this was the next town. Call me crazy, but I didn't really want to leave at this point. How many times do you meet aliens? And Jack was definitely growing on me. He was a good guy, even though he said stupid things sometimes… I should just try not to mention it… Maybe he forgot about it…

We pulled into a car shop and got out. I stretched and Jack looked around for someone.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, we're closed!" A voice said. We looked behind a particularly large tool box and desk to find a man leaning back on a chair.

"Oh, there you are," Jack said, "I know you're closed, but we've experienced car trouble so I was hoping-"

"We're still closed," The guy cut in, "Experience your car trouble when we're open." I couldn't help but snicker. He was an ass and I knew it. But he was a funny ass.

"I'll work on that next time," Jack said, "But this time, I need you to-"

"Jack Bruno." Sara said, "The only thing that will convince Eddie Cortez to reopen for business will be a significant amount of money." This Eddie Cortez guy stood up in confusion.

"Hey, wait a minute…" Eddie said slowly, "Do I know you?"

"No, absolutely not," Jack said quickly, "You do not know them from anywhere." Smooth Jack… "I'll pay you double your rate." Eddie snorted.

"Why not triple?" Eddie said sarcastically. Jack nodded.

"Done." Jack held up the big wad of cash. Eddie raised an eyebrow, but shrugged and walked towards to taxi. He gave a low whistle.

"What did you get in a fight with, a rhinoceros? " He chuckled, "Poor rhino." Jack and I laughed.

"Poor rhino, I know!" Jack said, smiling. Sara and Seth decided they should join in on the laughing, and I slapped my palm to my forehead. These kids really need to learn some acting skills, geezus! Jack looked at them and shook his head, making them stop.

"Man, I don't even know where to start with." Eddie said. Jack perked up.

"Where you could start is replacing the front shocks and the tire rods, patch up the radiator, fix the exhaust," Jack said, "And if you have four tires, I'll take those too. You've got one hour." Just as he finished talking, the side view mirror broke off and onto the floor. I guess Eddie will have to fix that too…

-At Ray's Diner-

We walked into a _very_ crowded diner, called 'Ray's'. It must be the only place to go to after everyone is done with work or school. There was some girl on a small stage singing, and people dancing. Must be karaoke night. Normally I would kinda like a place like this, but I wasn't normally with two aliens and a taxi driver, while worrying about if I was going to be left behind or not.

"Come on." Jack said, gesturing ahead of us. He saw an empty table and pointed to it. "Over here. Come on, sit down, sit down." We all took a seat and looked around. Sara looked at Jack suddenly and frowned.

"I hope you do not act upon your thought of making a fast break out of the back door of Ray's, escaping Stony Creek, never to look back at us again." Seth glared at Jack and I raised an eyebrow. How did Sara even know that? Jack was thinking the same thing.

"How do you know that?" He asked.

"My sister also has the gift of telepathy. She can read the minds of those nearest to her." Seth explained. I stiffened. Oh shit… I have been pretty much broadcasting… everything. How I was saving that one bullet in the revolver for myself, that it was my fault a kid died, my past- God. Fucking. Damnit. How am I supposed to control my thoughts?

"Really," Jack said, "Well, you tell your sister that here on Earth, reading minds? Very rude. Don't do that." Amen to that. Fuck's sake. I narrowed my eyes at her. I swear… if she tells anyone anything, I'm going to… well… I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'm going to do something! I'm probably going to end up just sitting in a corner and cursing myself out for not being able to control my thoughts, but it's something! Sara glanced at me sympathetically and I gritted my teeth. I gotta stop thinking about that kind of stuff. But how in the hell am I going to control my own thoughts?

A blonde, happy lady came up to us with water. She set our cups down and then smiled.

"Hey guys! Welcome to Ray's." She said, "My name is Tina and I'm gonna be your server…" She trailed off as she looked at us. "Wow… Look at you three." Jack froze. God, this guy needs to learn how to act too.

"Uh… What do you mean look at the three of them? T-They look just like three regular, uh, innocent, uhh, all-American kids!"Jack said quickly. I slapped my palm to my forehead. Oh my god… We're doomed.

"Well they just look like they rolled around in a pigpen before dinner, that's all." Tina said. I looked back at Sara and Seth and grimaced. They _did_ look pretty bad. There was dirt all over their faces, and scrapes and cuts… And I probably didn't look much better. The waiter paused to greet the sheriff before turning back to us.

"Now, why don't the three of you come with me, and we'll get you all cleaned up, huh?" She said with a smile. I looked at Jack to see if it was okay. He nodded and I got up, with Seth and Sara following suit.

"Hurry back." Jack said weakly. I nodded and then followed Tina towards the bathrooms. She left us in front of the door, before leaving to go bring some orders to people. I nodded to Seth before following Sara into the bathroom.

I went straight to the sink to look at myself in the mirror, and made a face. The largest cut on my face, from the bullet, had scabbed up well enough, but there was dried blood around it, and there were a few other scrapes on my face. I wrinkled my nose and stuck my tongue out at my reflection before turning on the water, hearing Sara do the same. I splashed some water on my face and reached for a paper towel, gently wiping around the cut. I threw some more water on my face quickly and patted it dry with more paper towels before throwing them away and unzipping my black and white striped hoodie. Placing it on a coat rack that was on the side of the stalls, I turned around I gave a groan of frustration. Sara looked up from the sink in concern.

"My shirt!" I groaned as I looked in the mirror at my reflection. There was blood on it! "That is my _only_ shirt, and I got fucking blood on it!" Sara looked at me curiously, and a bit worriedly.

"Shouldn't you be more concerned about the blood, rather than your shirt?" She asked. I paused… Oh yeah… I guess that's kind of bad too. I lifter my shirt and black tank top to see the damage and winced.

"Ooh…" I said, "_That_ looks painful." Sara nodded, a little dumb-founded. Probably from how calm I was about all this. I was just too tired to give a shit. It was mostly on my upper and a bit on my middle back. It was some pretty bad bruising, and some gashes and scrapes here and there. And there was a lot of dried blood. It wasn't pretty.

"Well, now I know why it hurt so bad at first…" I mumbled. I glanced at Sara. "Hey, can you…"

"Help you wash off some of the dried blood?" She finished for me. I gave a sheepish grin and nodded. She smiled softly and nodded before grabbing some more paper towels and getting them wet.

"You don't have to get all of it." I said weakly as she wiped away the blood and I bit back a whimper when she pressed too hard.

"Sorry!" She said apologetically. I waved her off. It was no big deal. After a bit, I looked back to see the worst of the dried blood gone. I nodded and let my shirts fall.

"Thank you." I said sheepishly. She smiled.

"It's no problem."She said softly. I nodded and tugged my jacket back on. I started to head towards the door, when I remembered something.

"Are you done?" I asked. When Sara nodded I opened the door and walked out. I didn't see Seth, so I looked around the corner to see Jack waiting. I walked back to Sara and shrugged. "Seth is still in the bathroom. You wanna wait for him?" She nodded and I shrugged. Alrighty then.

As we were waiting, some guy around our age with shortly cropped brown hair and hazel eyes came over and started flirting with Sara. She looked to me for help so I grabbed the guy's shoulder and turned him roughly.

"Hey asshole. Leave her alone, would ya?" I said bluntly, "She doesn't like you, so back off." He narrowed his eyes and ripped my hand off his shoulder.

"What are going to do if I don't, bitch?" He asked as he glared. I raised an eyebrow as he squeezed my wrist, trying to make me cry out in pain. Pfft… as if. Yeah, it hurt some, but he wasn't going to figure that out. I smirked and cracked my neck, loudly. His glare faltered and I chuckled.

"You just think you're the _shit_, don't you?" I asked cracked the knuckles in my free hand. I'm going to enjoy kicking this guy's ass. I moved my hand to punch him but someone grabbed my hand and stopped me. _What now?_ I turned to see Seth.

"He's not worth the trouble Carrie." Seth said softly. I groaned in disappointment. Man… I haven't had a decent fist fight in a while. I was looking forward to it… Seth turned at Mr. Big Shot and glared.

"Release her." He growled. I blinked and looked at Seth in surprise. Holy shit, he sounded like he was going to kill him. It was… kinda sexy. Sara looked at me pointedly with a small smile and I gave a sheepish grin and shrugged. What, I'm not gonna lie! Especially to myself! Her smile grew and she shook her head as I turned my attention back to Seth and Big Shot. Seth gripped his shoulder and Big Shot grimaced in pain and let me go.

"Okay, okay, chill bro! I'll leave your girlfriend alone!" He whimpered before walking away as quick as he could. Seth raised his eyebrows in surprise and looked at me. I smirked and wiggled my eyebrows suggestively. His cheeks turned pink and he hurried back to the table. I laughed and Sara giggled as we followed Seth back to the table. Who would've guessed that Sunshine is shy? Oh man, that's kind of adorable…

As we sat down Sara looked up at Jack, who started talking.

"You know… I think it would be-"

"-Best for everyone if Seth and I found another ride?" Sara finished. Jack stared at her.

"Seriously," jack said, "You have got to stop doing that." Sara ignored that and continued.

"Jack Bruno, it is understandable that you are scared and confused, considering all that has occurred-"

"I'm not scared." Jack denied, "Just… just a little confused…" He shook his head, "But, the bottom line is, you guys need someone from NASA-or the Air force, not me!" Sara frowned and shook her head.

"If you abandon us now, our mission will be in serious jeopardy." She said. Jack shook his head.

"Look, I'm just trying to be honest here, Okay?" He said, "I'm the wrong guy."

"A wise human once said, 'You are what you think you are.'" Sara said.

"Yeah, well why don't you find that guy and ask him?" He asked. I snorted. This needs to touch up on his world history. The Buddha said that. And he's dead. He's been dead for a while now.

"It was the Buddha," Seth said bluntly, "He is unavailable." See? Seth isn't even from Earth, and he knew it! Jack looked around exasperatedly.

"C'mon man" I said with a tired groan, "Just help the fucking aliens! The sooner they get what they need to get done, the sooner they'll leave you alone. And who knows? Maybe by the end of this, you won't want them to go!" Jack snorted and rolled his eyes. Wow, this is getting old fast! I'm just some random, troubled teen who's probably going to end up dying on the streets, cold, hungry, and alone-and I'm–trying-to help them! Sara looked at me in concern before looking back at Jack. Shit… she heard that, didn't she?

"How is it that beings on your planet can be so large in form, yet feel so small inside?" She asked softly. I flinched. Ooh… she hit right on home base with that one… and judging by the look on Jack's face, what she said affected him too. She glanced at me again before placing her hand on Jack's. "Maybe you need help too, Jack Bruno."

Jack looked like he was going to say something, but his phone went off, and he opened it.

"Dominick, I told you I…" He stopped and furrowed his eyebrows. He paused and moved to stand up, motioning to us that he would just be a minute before walking away. Something about the look on his face… I didn't like it. Once again, the feeling that something was gonna go down bubbled in my stomach. I tensed up and looked at Seth and Sara uneasily.

"I think… I think something's gonna happen." I murmured. Seth looked at me curiously.

"Like what?" He asked. I grimaced.

"I don't know. But I don't think we're gonna like it." I said slowly. Sara looked at me for a few seconds before nodding. "Be ready for a fight." I said as I felt a grin tug at my lips. About damn time I'm in a fight I have a chance to win, and not against an alien assassin that's just about as armored as a fucking tank and almost as big as one. Sara looked at me with raised eyebrows.

"You are a most curious human," She said, "Don't most humans try to avoid fights?" I blinked. Oh yeah. She reads minds…

"Once you start, and you keep fighting for a long time, it's… hard to just suddenly stop." I explained. Seth frowned.

"Why were you fighting for so long?" He asked. I blinked.

"Uhh…" I trailed off. I didn't really want to have to explain it; it was kinda dark... "Hey, Jack's coming back." I said suddenly. Jack came up to the table.

"Come on," Jack said, "We have to go." I raised an eyebrow but got up and followed him, with Seth and Sara following. Sara stopped and looked at Jack.

"They're here for us, aren't they?" She asked. Jack paused and glanced at the door.

"Yeah," He said, "They are." Seth froze. Jack walked ahead of us and to the sheriff.

"I knew we couldn't trust him, Sara." He said, "It's too late. We have to run!" He said. As he moved to run, Sara grabbed his arm.

"Wait." She said. He ground his teeth together, but stayed. We could hear Jack telling the Sheriff there were a whole lot of guns in the diner. I grinned. I knew Jack was a good guy. He walked back to us and ushered us towards the back of the diner. We watched as the Sheriff stopped one of the men who came in and talk to him. Then next thing you know, guns are pointed at each other, and then the entire diner was silent.

We inched back to one of the doors to find a guy-with a gun-standing in front of it. This is not good…

We turned back around to see Tina. She looked at us understandably and motioned for us to be quiet and to follow her. She opened a door and told us to go through there. Before we walked in, Sara and I paused to thank Tina. She gave us a small smile.

"Good luck." She whispered. I smiled and then followed Sara through the door. We came to a cellar door and Jack climbed up and tried to push it open. He cursed under his breath and came down.

"It's locked from the outside," Jack said, "We have to find another…" He trailed off as Seth moved up the ladder, "Hey, hey!" Seth ignored him and… put his hand through the door and unlocked it, pushing it open. I blinked. What the fuck… "Or we could do that… Whatever that is…" He said slowly, a little creeped out.

"My brother has the ability to control his molecular density," Sara explained, "Which allows him to pass through solid objects or withstand the greatest impacts." Huh… that explains a lot. Cool. As Jack stared ahead blankly, I passed him on the ladder.

"That's neat. Real neat." He said before climbing up after us. The others waited for Jack as I went ahead. I hopped off the building onto an old trailer before waiting for the others. Once Sara was coming down, I jumped off the trailer onto the ground with a grunt. Jack looked down at me in surprise.

"What?" I asked, "Would you guys hurry up? We don't exactly have all the time in the world here!" Jack raised his eyebrows before shrugging and jumping down. He caught Seth and Sara as they jumped and I looked around. Then I saw something that… didn't look good. I froze. Jack turned to me curiously.

"What is it?" He asked. I didn't answer. The growls answered his question. Jack slowly turned to see a large, rather skinny dog. I would have felt bad for it, if it weren't barking and snarling at us. He gave a forced smile.

"Hi, little fella…" He said weakly. I grimaced and shoved him. Dude… no. As I stood there wondering what to do, a thought struck me and I moved forward. Jack tried to stop me, but I shook him off. I stopped five-ish feet away from the dog and kneeled down to the dog's height and smiled.

"Hey there buddy." I said gently, "You look hungry." I looked him over and saw he must be a Pit Bull or Mastiff mix. Which meant he had really short fur. And it was pretty cold out. "And you're probably cold, huh?" The dog stopped barking and settled with a low growl. It was a start…

I reached into my pocket and grinned when I felt plastic. I wrapped my fingers around it and pulled it out. Thank god I put everything in my pockets… I opened the wrapper for the Beef Jerky. The dog sniffed the air and gave another growl that ended in a whine.

"Yeah, smells good, right?" I asked. My stomach rumbled and I made a face. I know _I_ thought it smelled good. The dog whimpered and took a few steps towards me. "That's it…" I said softly. The dog reached forward and snatched the jerky from my hands before retreating a few steps as I put my hands on my knees. When he finished he looked back at me and stepped towards me again.

"I'm sorry, I don't have any more." I said sheepishly. The dog kept coming towards me until I only had to stretch my fingers out and I would touch him. He sniffed me and I slowly reached my hand out to pet him. As soon as I patted his head, he jumped into my arms and I fell back onto my ass, laughing. I hugged the dog as he shivered and turned to Jack.

"See? _That's_ how it's done." I said with a grin. Jack rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, whatever." Jack said as he stepped forward. The dogs suddenly tensed up and jumped out of my arms and ran towards Jack, who held his arms up to protect his face. My eyes widened and I reached for the dog.

"No, no, no! Don't maul Jack!" I yelped. The dog kept going and… ran right past Jack and to Sara.

"We appreciate your understanding." She said with a smile as she patted his head, "Let's go." I stood there feeling stupid.

"Of course she talks to dogs!" I said exasperatedly, "I wish I had known that! I could still have had that Beef Jerky! Oh, what a waste…" I groaned as I stood there. I guess now's as good a time as any other to get this done… Jack sighed and followed after them, but paused when he saw I wasn't coming.

"What's up kid?" He asked. Seth and Sara paused as well, turning back to me. Aw man… I hadn't wanted to make a big deal out this…

"When I first got in your cab, we agreed that you would leave me at the next town…" I trailed off, "And… this is the next town." Jack looked at me like I was crazy stupid. Which, I guess I kind of am.

"I think after all that, things are different and-"I cut him off.

"-Look, we made a deal. A promise…" I said slowly, "And I don't break my promises. Go take those two aliens home, and make sure they don't get hurt. I'll try and slow down the guys after Sara and Seth as best as I can." Jack started to argue, but I glared at him and he gave a defeated sigh and reluctantly turned to leave. As he got to Sara and Seth, they all turned around to look at me… Wow. Talk about dramatics. I grinned and gave a little salute before turning to pick up some nicely sized rocks. When I turned back, they weren't there. I looked at the dog.

"You ready for this?" I asked him. He wagged his tail and nudged my hand with his nose. I gave a sigh. "Yeah… me neither."

- a few minutes later-

I heard some explosions and a guy in a suit came up and aimed a pistol at the cab. The dog, who still needs a name, snarled and bit him leg as I ran up kicked the gun out of his hand and punched him in the face. More people came up with guns and I cursed. Guns versus fists, knives, and teeth. I knew which would win.

"Shit! Retreat!" I yelled at the dog. The dog ran past the gate and I followed, running as fast as I could to try to keep up. And I did. Suddenly, being able to run fast seemed to be a very useful skill that I was _very _glad I had. Too bad I was so tired, 'cause after a few moments, I felt winded. I saw the cab in front of us and it stopped. We were running towards it…

Ah, fuck it. It was either the cab or get arrested/shot. I _had_ said I would stay behind, but that was before people with guns were after me. The back and front door opened and the dog jumped in the back I jumped in the front.

"Sara, I said…" Jack paused when he saw the dog, "Oh-no-no-Absolutely not!" He groaned, "This Junkyard is not going with us! I am done picking up stray passengers!" Has he even noticed me? Oh well, I don't care. I shut the door, wheezing and gasping for breath. Man, I hate running so much… Jack looked over at me startled. He started to ask me something, but when bullets skid over the roof of the car and he drove off. Jack glanced at me.

"You okay kid?" He asked in concern. I nodded as I struggled for breath.

"I-I really- really ha-hate… hate running" I gasped out as I clutched my chest. I looked down to see my backpack still there. Oh thank god… I grabbed it and ripped it open, shoving my hand in it until I felt nylon. I grasped my hand around it and pulled up my canteen. I pulled off the top and drank. It was still cold… God I love my canteen. I pulled it away and wiped my mouth, looking at the panting dog behind me. I saw an empty plastic cup and held it up. "Water?" I asked offered Jack. He smiled.

"No, I'm good, kid. Thanks."He said I nodded and looked at Seth and Sara, shaking the cup. When they shook their heads I turned to the dog.

"How about you?" I asked with a weak smile. Sara popped up.

"He says 'Yes please.'"Sara said. I licked my lips and nodded pouring some water into the cup and holding it out to the dog. He lapped it all up and leaned forward to lick my face. I grimaced.

"Dude… t-that's… fucking gro-gross." I said as I wiped my face off. Water dripped off his chin and onto me and it… wasn't fun. Ugh… I rubbed his ear anyways and turned back to the front. We drove a few minutes in silence; the only noise was me catching my breath. They didn't ask me anything, which I was really grateful for. Soon though, Jack turned to me.

"How are you feeling now?"He asked.

"Well, I don't… feel like I'm going to cough up my lungs and or blood… so that's p-probably a good sign, right?" I asked sarcastically. Jack chuckled, and I heard Seth snicker from behind us.

"Yeah, it is…" Jack said, "But I have a question." I looked at him.

"Okay… what is it?" I asked.

"Didn't you say you wanted me to leave you behind because 'you swore' or something like that?" He asked. I nodded.

"Technically, you did leave me behind... I just caught up with you. And well… it was either you and the cab, or bullets… since I have no desire to die yet; you sounded much more pleasant than bullets." I said sheepishly. He snorted.

"Good to have you back with us kid." Jack said with a smile. Sara popped up and smiled at me.

"We are pleased to have you with us again as well, Carrie." She said. I grinned.

"Thanks… It's… nice to be back, honestly." I paused, "But seriously… just call me Wire. _Not_ Carrie. "


	5. Chapter 4

"Those guys who were chasing us were the same ones from the highway, right?" Jack asked.

"Yes." Sara confirmed. I blinked. So… we were pretty much being chased by the Men in Black?

"It is vital that you take us to their base of operation." Seth said. I looked back at him like he was nuts. What? I thought we were trying to _avoid_ the guys with big guns!

"You want me to take you to the guys who are trying to kill you?" Jack asked. Seth nodded. Jack and I looked at each other in disbelief. "Let me explain to you how we do things here on Earth. People who want you dead, you avoid."

"That way," I finished, "You stay alive." Jack nodded.

"Make sense?" Jack asked. Seth narrowed his eyes.

"No one on your planet will 'stay alive' if we do not return to our planet." Seth said bluntly, "In order to return, we need our ship. Those men who are trying to kill us have stolen our ship. _Make sense?_" … Okay, now he's just being an ass…

… But he was an ass with a _very_ good point. I looked back at Seth for a second before turning back to the front, shaking my head. He expected us to find a way into a top secret, government base. And he expects us to get him and Sara in? Alive? We don't even know where this base is! Where would we begin?

"Where do you suggest we begin our search?" Sara asked us. Ugh… I'm not good at this kind of stuff… I'm more of a 'wing it' type of person!

"I don't suggest we begin searching at all," Jack said, "I do suggest we go back to Vegas and I drop you off where you got on." Jack glanced back at the dog, "You too." I stared at Jack. Did he not hear what came out of Seth's mouth? Lately. I've been enjoying living. I would like to continue. And not die.

"It's just as I thought," Seth said, "No human is going to try to help us Sara. Especially not this one." I turned to stare at Seth. Did I turn invisible or something? What about me?

"Hey! Easy on the human bashing, okay?" Jack said, "Some of my best friends happen to be human. Even if I were to help, I wouldn't even know where to begin!" I felt my eye twitch.

"Hello? What about me? I can try to help-What the fuck do you think I've been doing all fucking night? I am insulted!" I threw my hands up in the air. "So I wasted my only bullet, got thrown into trees multiple times, and almost got shot at and arrested or killed for shits and giggles then!" Sara looked at me apologetically.

"I'm sorry," She said, "Do you have any ideas on where we could start?" I snorted.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do have a few Ideas," I said, "There was this alien convention in Vegas. There's some sort of scientist or doctor there… We could go to them, and see if they could help. I'm sure they've got connections." I paused, slowing down… I just thought of a flaw to my plan… "But… I have no idea where they'll be, what they look like… or the person's name… Or gender." I finished lamely. I slapped my forehead. "You know what… scratch that. That wasn't helpful… at all. I'll just sit over here quietly now." I glanced at Jack, who looked like he was thinking hard. Sara perked up.

"Who is Doctor Alex Friedman?" She asked. Jack looked at me.

"She's the person Wire was going on about… She's someone who could actually help. I forgot all about her…" Jack said slowly. I grinned in victory. I did something right! Score one for Wire! Jack looked back at Seth, "And for the record, she happens to be _human_." Jack added smugly.

-Around four AM-

I woke up to hear growling. I sat up abruptly.

"Wha- What's going on- What?" I looked around with my fist up, ready to start punching. I saw Jack staring ahead, unamused. The dog was glaring holes into the side of Jack's head as he growled. I looked in the back to see Sara and Seth relaxed against the seats. I blinked before letting my hands fall. What did I miss?

… Actually… when did I fall asleep? Jack gripped the wheel tighter.

"Sara…" Jack said warningly.

"He would appreciate you pulling over so that he can relieve himself." Sara said meekly. One of those 'I'm-too-tired-to-laugh-so-I'm-just-gonna-smile-dopily' smiles came onto my face. Has stuff like this been going on when I was asleep? I hope not, because it's pretty fucking funny. Jack gritted his teeth.

"Well, we don't have time for that. He should have went before we left Stony Creek." Jack said impatiently. The dog gave another growl and I my smile grew.

"He isn't pleased with your attitude." Sara said worriedly. I put my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing.

"Really? Is that the way he feels? Well you remind him," Jack said, "That I'm a man and he's a dog. And I'm not about to have this, or any conversation with a_ dog_." Jack glared at the dog pointedly. "So my answer is still _no_." I snickered and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing as my shoulders shook.

The dog gave a particularly vicious snarl and Jack groaned. He pulled over and opened the door and getting out. He pulled the back door open, and the dog barked happily before running out of the car. Sara got out as well. I moved to get out as well, but stopped. Fuck it…. I'm too lazy. I yawned and rubbed my face, when I realized something felt... off…I slapped my hands back to my face, feeling around. What is…? Oh.

"Where are my glasses?" I asked as I looked around on the floor and in the glove department. I looked around for a few minutes before looking up and seeing a hand holding my glasses in my face. I followed the hand to the arm, then to the (blurry) face. Of course… Seth was the culprit.

"Why did you steal my glasses?" I asked. Seth raised an eyebrow.

"I hardly stole them," Seth said, "You were asleep, and I thought it would be best to take them so you wouldn't break them if you turned in your sleep. _You're welcome._" I blinked. Wha… since when is Seth so… _nice_? I mean really. I've been noticing that he's been _awfully_ nice to me after the house exploded from the Siphon. And it's _freaking out_ my paranoid as hell brain! Did he hit his head real bad when he was knocked out or something and it's a sign of a concussion? Maybe he knocked some of the nice juice from his head and into his brain, traveling through his brain to his glary, icy heart, which will soon kill him? Or-or maybe he's been mind controlled by a back up Siphon-or-

"Carrie?" Sara asked, popping in the car, "I can assure you my brother is perfectly healthy, and not being mind controlled." I could make out an amused smile directed at me before popping back out. Aw man… she heard my paranoid ramblings… Whoops. Seth looked at me confusedly and I gave a sheepish grin and a shrug before reaching for my glasses. But they were pulled away from my hands.

Okay. Now he's just screwing with me.

"Yeah, that's real cool," I said, sarcastically, "Screw around with the blind kid… Such _fun_." I huffed and rested my chin on the shoulder of the seat. "C'mon… give it here, Sunshine…" Seth narrowed his eyes. For what, I couldn't tell.

"What's that? He asked. What? What's what? I stared at him blankly. I need something a bit more specific than _that_. I'm slow. Not to mention that I just woke up and I'm a little drowsy. Seth rolled his eyes (or he had an eye spasm), before tapping just under his eye. I reached up and poked just under my eye and felt a small twinge of pain.

"Oh. This?" I asked. Seth nodded. I was about to answer, but then I decided to be a sarcastic ass. Because it's fun, and I can. "It's called a black eye. They tend to appear when you get hit in the face and-"

"-I know what a black eye is… I'm asking you how you got it." Seth said. He didn't look amused. Yeesh, I need to take this kid out to a party or something one of these days. He needs to chill out some. "Do you ever slow down and take time to just sit back and enjoy life and laugh and stuff?" Kind of out of the blue, but I really am genuinely curious. Seth looked at me funny, but didn't question me.

"We are on a mission to save both my planet, and yours, and yo-"Oh my geezus kid, I'm not talking about _now_!

"I'm not talkin' about _now_! I'm talking about back on your planet! Did you ever sit back and chill with friends?" I said exasperatedly, "Go find a girlfriend, bake a cake, walk a pet, or _something_?" I don't know why this suddenly came to mind. I'm tired and I need some coffee. Shut up. Don't judge me. I'm kinda ADD when I'm drowsy. And Seth seems like the type to stay inside all day and just study or something, and it bugs me for some reason. And I'm pretty sure at this point Seth thinks I'm ADD or drunk.

"No," Seth said confusedly, "I stayed in and read on our history and trained." _Oh!_ I so fucking called it!

Wait, wait… That's not a good thing. The fact that I was right is bad. Baaddd…

Sweet frog on a spaceship, I need some god damn coffee… Why did I let myself fall asleep? I wouldn't have to be like this if I hadn't let myself fall the fuck to sleep. That, my friends, is why I don't sleep. When I wake up and I don't get coffee, I act and talk and _think_ stupid, for like twenty to thirty minutes or however long it takes for me to wake up, and I just _can't lie_. It's like things just _slip out_. Like how I think that that one person (who just so happens to be in the room with me) is incredibly stupid, or reckless or whatever I happen to think of said person. That, and nightmares. I get those a lot when I sleep…

What was I doing? Oh right. Seth needs to get out more and be happier.

"You and me, Sunshine," I said, giving him a tired grin, "One of these days… I'm going to take you somewhere. Somewhere awesome. Like… an amusement park. With roller coasters and haunted houses… and cotton candy. Or to a petting zoo or something. You need to be a teenager." I stifled a yawn as Seth stared at me curiously.

"You are… an odd human." He said slowly. I shrugged. Yeah, I got that already. The dog, who still needs a name, barked from wherever he was and came galloping towards the car, looking considerably happier, and jumped in the car and sat next to Seth. I heard Sara tell Jack that 'Junkyard' said thank you. Jack stared at her.

"Did he now? Is there anything else he wants?" Jack asked sarcastically. Sara glanced back at 'Junkyard' before looking back at Jack.

"He said he would love a bone or a meaty treat." She answered. I snickered.

"Top of my to-do list. Just get in." Jack said. When they were all strapped in and we were driving, Jack glanced at me.

"So," He started, "Awake now, are we?" I gave a sheepish grin and nodded. He paused before he started talking again. "So… I've been wondering… How did you know about that alien convention?" I shrugged.

"I had been planning on going with two friends of mine…" I answered, cracking my knuckles. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Who were these friends?" He asked curiously. Geeze… what's with all the personal questions lately?

"You were talking in your sleep. You talked about… a lot." Sara answered for me. Huh? I wasn't even aware I talked in my sleep…

"Bear and… and Jason." I said slowly, feeling a twinge in my gut. I bit back a grimace and hoped he wouldn't pry. I don't feel like talking about them. More specifically, Jason. Luckily, Jack left it at that and focused on driving.

After ten minutes, I got bored, and I realized something… Why was everything really blurry? I reached up and felt my face. Oh yeah… I turned and looked at Seth, holding my hand out expectantly.

"Glasses," I reminded him, "You have them. Give. Please." He nodded and dropped them into my palm. I shoved them back onto my face and let my eyes adjust, before giving a satisfied nod and facing the front. I stifled a yawn and glanced at Jack. "I don't suppose we're going to be able to stop for coffee…?" I asked. Jack snorted and gestured around.

"Do you see anywhere we could stop for coffee?" He asked. I made a face. Okay, okay… that _was_ a pretty stupid question.

"Good point." I said meekly. He nodded.

After another… I dunno… ten, twenty minutes, I got bored. By then, I was wide awake. Staring out the window got boring after so long. I looked around and noticed a radio. My eyes lit up and I reached towards it, slowly, watching for signs of disapproval. He looked at me and nodded. I grinned and turned it on only to hear static. Aw… no signal. Damn. I turned it off with a groan. Jack glanced at me.

"If you want to listen to music, you could just sing-"Jack started but I cut him off.

"No." I said bluntly, "I don't sing." I glanced at the two siblings who were watching Jack and me curiously. "Why don't you get them to do it?" I asked. They had more than pleasant enough voices. I'm sure they could carry a tune, and damn well, too.

Sara's eyes lit up, but Seth butts in before she could say and or sing anything.

"No." He said bluntly. I groaned. What a party pooper… I _really_ need to take this kid out to an amusement park or something… He needs to chill.

"Why-"

"No."

"But-"

"No."

"You-"

"_No_." I glared at Seth, who glared back. We stared down for a while until I felt a smile tug at my lips. I bit my lip to try to prevent it, but I don't think I did a very good job… I can't help it man! I could never manage stare downs unless I'm seriously fucking pissed, and if I'm at that point, then… well… you would dead or in a coma by that point anyways.

We kept at it for a while, with me fighting back smiles. I'm pretty sure I saw Seth's lips twitch up too. Sara was watching in amusement, and Jack would glance at us pretty often. Even Junkyard watched.

We kept going at it until finally, I decided I had enough. Not that he was unpleasant to look at or anything, but… if I didn't stop this soon, I would lose, and I, and probably Sara, knew it.

I pulled a funny face and blew a raspberry. Jack and Sara started laughing, and I'm pretty sure even Mr. I-Have-A-Stick-Up-My-Ass chuckled.

"Okay, okay," I said as we all stopped laughing, "No singing. Fair enough. But… how about 'I Spy'?" Sara looked at me, confused, and Seth cocked his head to the side.

"What is that, Wire?" Sara asked. I froze before slapping my hand to my face. Oh lordy…

**Authors Note-  
**

**Okay... I _know_ this one was short, I'm sorry about that, but the next one will be the longest yet... ****hopefully. ****I couldn't think of too many things that would go on in the taxi, and I didn't want to skip it, because... That's just not how I like to roll. I'm dumb like that. I like to explore the scenes that are cut out of a movie, instead of keeping it_ exactly_ like the movie and skipping what would be a good five to eight hours where things could be explored and explained and other lame stuff like that.** **So... That's it.**

**Hope you enjoy my lame little story :) **

_**BlueAsh666**_

___No, I'm not a satanist. I just like the number 6._


	6. Chapter 5

"Okay…" I said slowly as I looked around, "I spy with my little eye… Vegas!" Sara frowned.

"Aren't you supposed to _not_ tell us what it is you spy?" She asked. I chuckled.

"No, no you're not; I was just saying that-"I started. Jack glanced back.

"We're here." Jack answered for me. I nodded and grinned.

"Game over." I said, "Sara wins." Of course, she kinda sort of, in a way, cheated, but oh well. It was her first game; I'll give her a break. I sighed as I looked at the ever-growing Vegas. "Ah, Vegas. Home to some of the strangest, most inconsiderate, and just plain meanest people of our time." I said wistfully. Jack snickered.

"I should disagree with you… but you're kind of right." Jack said with a shrug. I smirked. Yeah I am!

As we drove into the city, we neared a familiar place. 'Andy's Arms'. I had a thought and turned to Jack.

"Wait! Stop!" I yelled. I must have sounded pretty urgent because Jack slammed on the breaks. And let me just say; thank _god_ that the outskirts of Vegas didn't have too many visitors.

"What-What is it?" Jack asked in alarm. I ripped off my seat belt and flung open the door before reaching into my backpack and grabbing my money and the empty revolver. I got out and turned to Jack.

"Stay here, I'll be back soon." I said before jogging into the store. I heard protests from the car but ignored them and went in. Guns adorned the wall behind the counter and various knives, axes, and other weapons on the other walls. A massive, extremely familiar body was facing away from me, cleaning a knife.

"Hey." I said, catching his attention. The person perked up and turned to face me. His eyes lit up behind his thick rimmed, nerdy glasses.

"Wire!" He exclaimed, surprised. He came out from behind the counter and picked me up in a bear hug. "What are you doing here kid? Does _she _know?" I shook my head and hugged him back. I had missed him and his always-warm bear hugs. He set me down and I looked up at his massive frame. He hadn't changed much. He was still the _biggest_ fucking person I had ever seen. His skin was well tanned and he had sideburns and stubble, with a small patch of hair on his chin. He has a healthy gut, and his arms are bigger than my head, with massive hands and broad shoulders. All in all, he's pretty much a bear in human form. Which was why I was so fond of calling him 'Bear'. And he is the awesomest person I've ever met. He's pretty laid back, and he doesn't try to stop me from what I want to do. He's always willing to listen, and as amazing advice. And cookies.

"Listen Bear… I… need a favor." I said slowly. Bear paused before nodding and leaning against the counter. He pulled out a cigar and a match box from his front pocket. He signaled for me to wait a moment and lit his cigar and breathed in deeply before looking at me.

"Alright kid…" He said, "What do you need?" I sighed and shuffled my feet.

"I think… I'm going to be in something soon. Something big..." I explained, "And I don't want to be… unprepared." I finished meekly. Bear stared at me and I stared back. He gave a sigh.

"You know I don't like you going out with those damned Steel Guns…" He started. I stopped him.

"Nonono! This has nothing to do with that stupid-ass gang. I left _those_ assholes." I said, "I'm helping some friends of mine… They're good people, and they have some… Not-so-good people after them, and I want to help them. But I also don't want to die." Bear raised an eyebrow but stood up with an exhausted sigh.

"Alright, fine." He said as he waved for me to towards a door with an 'employees only' sign over it. "I've got the good stuff in the back. We can get you equipped in there." He locked the entrance door and walked in, with me trailing behind him. There was a room with two doors. There was a couch and a bunch of other stuff in the room, and a coffee machine on a table.

"Stay here. Help yourself to some coffee. Don't break the TV. Don't ruin my books." He said as he lumbered to one of the doors. I went and poured myself some coffee and poured some sugar and milk in it. I took a sip and I smiled. It was amazing… Bear always knew how to make an awesome cup of coffee. Bear came back in with a two boxes stacked on top of each other and set them down with a grunt. He took them off of each other and opened them with a pocket knife.

I set down my coffee and walked towards him with curiosity.

"Alright kid. Take off the hoodie real quick." He said. I nodded and unzipped it, dropping it on the floor carelessly. Bear turned me around and pulled something over my head. He lifted my arms and did some straps before turning me back around before turning back to the box.

"This is the International Interceptor. Stupid name, but it's one of the best out there. It stops most automatic rifle bullets, and protects you from being stabbed." He told me, turning back around and strapping something to my shoulders and upper arms. "D.A.P.S. Deltoid Axillary Protection System. Protects your shoulder and upper arm." He studied me for a moment, and tightened some of the straps before giving a satisfied nod. He moved onto the next box and started to pull out a rifle of some sort. I didn't get a good look at it.

"Woah-woah! I can't walk around with that!" I exclaimed, "This is enough!" Bear put it back with a nod before standing up straight and looking at me. I picked up my hoodie and put it on, before turning back to Bear. I pulled the empty revolver and looked at it. I had named it 'Cavalier'. It was custom made, with a dragon and the Korean word for 'fire' carved into the wooden stock, and intricate designs on the barrel. My name was scratched into the bottom of the stock. I looked up at Bear and held it out to him. I got this revolver from my dad. I've had it for a long time… it was one of my trademark weapons. This might be my last big fight, and if I don't make it, I want Bear to have something to remember me by. Bear's eyes widened.

"Kid… what are you doing?" He asked, sounding almost… scared. He shrunk away from my hand that was offering him the gun. I sighed.

"This… might be it. I might not make it. Something could happen, and I might never be able to see you again," I explained as Bear stared at me, "I want you to keep Cavalier, and take care of him until I get back. If I don't get back… I want you to keep him, and take good care of him." Bear looked at me in anguish, and didn't respond. "Bear," I said firmly, "I need to know Cavalier will be in good hands. You need to swear if I don't make it back to you, that you'll take care of him." Bear frowned, but nodded. He took Cavalier from my hands and looked at it in anguish.

"You better come back kiddo." He said with pain in his voice. I nodded and zipped up my hoodie.

"I'll try." I said as I held out my two hundred dollars, which he refused to take. "I'll pay you back if I get back, I swear it." Bear grimaced and pulled me into a bear hug.

"Aw man, kid; you're going to be the death of me…" He mumbled as I smiled and hugged him back. He let me down and followed me out of the store. When he saw the beat up taxi, he stopped. "_Please_ tell me that's not your ride…"

I gave a sheepish grin and shrugged. He groaned and pulled me towards him and rested his massive arms on my shoulders. He looked into the back and saw Seth looking at us through the window.

"He your friend?" Bear asked. I nodded. He narrowed his eyes. "_Just_ your friend. Right?" I rolled my eyes and playfully pushed his arms off me.

"_Yes Mother_." I said. He nodded.

"Damn straight kid!" He said exasperatedly, "I'm all you got! And that boy _better _not break your heart or I will end him!" I grimaced.

"I told you! We're _just friends_!" I exclaimed. Bear grunted.

"So you _think_. I see the way he looks at you." He grumbled, "You might not, but I do! Boys are sneaky, evil, conniving creatures!" I groaned and covered my face with my hands. I swear… this guy is just like a Momma Grizzly Bear!

"Look, we're kinda in a hurry!" I said. Bear growled.

"And he's damn lucky you are too! You better tell him to not try _anything_. Not until he gets my fucking approval!" He said grumpily. I rolled my eyes and hugged him once more before getting in the cab.

"Drive." I said ordered. Jack looked at me oddly but nodded and started the cab. Bear came up to the window and did the 'I'm-watching-you' motion to Seth before we drove off. I rolled my eyes. Goddamn. I love that guy, but he acts like my mother. Or rather, the mother I should have had. Jack glanced at me.

"So…" He started, "What was with the big, hairy, and threatening guy?" I gave a sheepish grin.

"That," I explained, "Was Andy. Or Bear, as I call him. He's… kind of like a mother to me. A big, threatening, yet surprisingly cuddly mother. Like a momma bear." Jack snorted and smirked to himself in amusement. Seth leaned forward.

"Why did he glare at me?" Seth asked. I paused and glanced back at him.

"He, kinda uhh…" I trailed off as I thought of what to tell him. Sara perked up.

"He was daring you to 'hurt his little cub's heart'." Sara told him. I slapped my palm to my forehead.

""Yeah," I confirmed, "That sounds like something he would say. He swears up and down that you like me or some shit. I dunno. He's an odd one." I chuckled. I heard Seth give a strangled sort of noise from behind me. What the… I turned to see Seth looking like he choked on something. His face was all red and stuff.

"Sunshine, you okay bro?" I asked concernedly. Seth nodded and waved me off weakly. Sara was looking at Seth with a comforting smile. Dude… that's messed up. I mean, I know he's fine now but it looks like he was just choking and she's just sitting there. I thought I was cruel. I reached back and patted his shoulder.

"Seriously, your face is all red man. Are you gonna make it?" I joked weakly. Seth nodded and glanced at his sister.

"I will be fine." He said as his voice cracked. I looked at Junkyard who was watching Seth unconvincingly. I rolled my eyes and turned, grabbing my canteen. I took a swig and gave a satisfied nod. It was still relatively cold. _God_, I love my canteen! For real, bro. I turned back and held it out to Seth.

"Here. Drink." I said. Seth nodded gratefully and took it, gulping down the water. He stopped and took a few deep breaths, before handing back my canteen.

"Thank you." He said quietly. I nodded and grinned.

"So, just to be clear…" I said, "You're okay right? I'm not gonna need to go back there and do the Heimlich maneuver or CPR on you, Si?" Seth gave a weak smile and nodded. "Awesome." I said with a thumbs up, before turning back to the front.

-At the convention's parking lot-

We got out and I paused and grabbed my backpack before jogging to the others walked to the entrance, leaving Junkyard in the car. Jack stopped one of the workers and handed him the car keys.

"I need you to keep the cab close and give the dog some water," Hearing Junkyard bark, he added, "And, uh, give him a meaty treat." Junkyard gave a few enthusiastic barks and I smirked.

We walked in and Jack wrapped his arms around our shoulders and kept us in front of him.

"Okay, so stay close to me," Jack instructed, "Don't talk to anyone. Nice and normal." We followed Jack to a conference room with a sign in front of the door that said 'Dr Alex Friedman' above 'Cattle Mutilation'… wow. That's… kind of gross. A lady who I assumed was Dr Alex Friedman turned and saw us.

"The Cattle Mutilation doesn't start for an hour now." She informed us, "But grab a seat. This place will be packed. It always is."

"We're here to see you, actually." Jack told her. She gave a delighted smile.

"Oh." She said, sounding a bit surprised.

"It's Jack Bruno. We met earlier." He told her. Dr Friedman paused as she tried to remember.

"Oh… we did?" She asked.

"Cab." Jack reminded her, "Airport to hotel… driver?" Her eyes lit up. Ah. She must have remembered.

"Oh," She chuckled, "The nonbeliever. What are the odds?" Jack leaned closer.

"Is there someplace we could talk?" Jack asked quietly. Dr Friedman looked around the empty room.

"The, uh… crowds in here making you nervous?" She asked. I snickered under my breath.

"Even more private than this." Jack said. She smiled.

"Look, no offense, but I'm pretty busy." She said as she turned away. Sara took a step forward.

"She is doubting her thesis on Gliese 581 and Alcubierre's warp drive." Sara stated. Dr Friedman froze and turned around slowly.

"How did you know that?" She asked in disbelief. Jack snorted.

"Oh, it gets a lot better," Jack said, "Trust me." Dr Friedman looked between Jack and Sara before giving a defeated sigh.

"Fine." She said as she walked towards the door, "Follow me."

-A few _very_ short minutes later-

"Are you insane?" Alex asked Jack. Jack frowned in disbelief.

"I just thought you, of all people, would-would understand and want to help!" Jack said. I rolled my eyes. Did he not realize how _bad_ that sounded?

"Why-Because I'm the nut job speaking at a UFO convention?" She asked angrily. Jack opened his mouth but she cut him off, "Don't answer that." Jack sighed.

"I know it sounds really crazy…" Jack started. She snorted.

"Ya think?" She asked. She paused and turned, looking at Sara and Seth, "Hey! Please don't touch that." I looked over to see Seth holding her laptop.

"You… You captured an image of our ship!" Seth said. Alex furrowed her eyebrows together.

"The smudge?" She asked, "You're telling me you think the smudge is your spaceship?" Sara shook her head.

"No." Sara told her, "We don't think it is our spaceship. We _know_ it is our spaceship." I looked closer as Alex gave a huff of irritation. It just looked like a smudge to me, but hey, what do I know? I'm not a highly advanced alien.

"That's it." Alex said, "I'm out." She walked toward Sara and Seth. "If you'll excuse me, I'll grab my laptop and-"She gave a gasp of shock as her hands went right through her and Seth's hand and dropped to the floor, only to stop inches away from meeting an untimely death, and drifting back up and into Alex's hands. A shudder ran up my spine and I made a face. Yeah… as cool as that is… It's still a little creepy.

"Oh." Jack added with a smug smile, "They can also do all this stuff, too." Alex continued to stare at Seth and Sara in shock.

"Who are you?" Alex breathed. Sara met Seth's gaze and nodded.

"Show her." Sara told him. Seth nodded and pulled out yet _another_ bad ass device thing and set it down, pressing a button. A light exploded from the device, and I squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them, I froze.

"Woah…" I breathed. Alex nodded in agreement.

We were surrounded by a small scale of billions of stars and planets. An asteroid flew by my upraised hand and I grinned. Alex, Jack, and I looked around in awe as Sara and Seth watched. Alex beamed and gave a small laugh.

"This is… huge." Alex said as she looked around like a kid in a candy shop before turning back to our favorite aliens."I have so many questions, even though you are the answers, here, standing right in front of me!" She looked like she was about to squeal like a fan girl. Jack cleared his throat and she paused and gave an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry. I'm very excited." She composed herself, "Right."

"Where… Where are you from?" Alex asked. I forced my attention away from the comet that just streaked past me as a though hit me… That's a very good question… Why didn't I ever stop to ask that?

"Our planet is located some 3,000 light-years away from Earth." Sara answered.

"Space travel of such sizable distance-"Alex started. Seth cut in.

"Is possible using a paradoxical passage in the unbounded-"

"Wormholes. That's it!" Alex finished for him before giggling to herself, "My presentation at SETI National Convention was right! Interstellar travel is possible using wormholes as a shortcut through space!" Jack gave a nervous laugh.

"That was my first guess as well, the wormholes." Jack said lamely. We all paused to stare at Jack and he gave a sheepish smile. "Continue, doctor."

"Why did you come to Earth?" Alex asked. I never even thought of that... Whoops…? Just sort of slipped my mind.

"Our planet is dying." Sara said, "Millennia of neglect has rendered our atmosphere unbreathable." Well now. That sounds oddly familiar, doesn't it?

"That sounds familiar…" Alex breathed. Aaand I was right. Again. I still don't like always being right.

"Our parents are scientists who have studied Earth's changing climates," Seth explained, "In hopes of finding a solution for our planet's future."

"Our people's fears began to rise, and then our parents found something our leaders were very interested in." Sara said.

"Your planet," Seth said, "Makes a suitable living environment for our kind." I grimaced… I have a feeling I know where this is headed… "It would be simplest to abandon our planet and… occupy yours." I threw my hands in the air.

"Oh my fucking god- I was right again!" I said exasperatedly. Sara gave me a comforting smile and put a hand on my shoulder. Jack stepped forward.

"Okay, wait." Jack said, "So I'm helping you conquer my own planet?" Sara looked up in alarm.

"No!" She said, "Most of the people on our planet are fiercely opposed to this plan."

"But fear of extinction has triumphed among our people." Seth added. _There's_ the Seth I know and love. Just a serious downer _all_ the time.

"But then our parents found a solution." Sara said, "An experiment in an outpost here was successful in regenerating life into all previously dying plants and trees."

"Which would enable the re-oxygenating of your poisoned atmosphere." Alex finished.

"So what's the problem?" Jack asked.

"Our military." Seth answered grimly, "They preferred the solution of invasion over science."

"Which is why we had to hurry and retrieve the experiment." Sara explained, pulling out the device, "All proof that our planet can be saved, and your planet spared, is in here." Okay, that's great!

"Where are your parents again?" Jack asked.

"They were arrested for their opposition." Sara said. Okay… that's _not_ so great.

"We agreed to complete the task for them." Seth explained. Wait… couldn't they have sent… Lab assistants or something?

"What about the assassin?" Jack asked. Alex looked at him in alarm.

"Assassin? What assassin?" She asked.

"The Siphon warrior series Deraniun 75 was created by our military." Sara answered.

"They're bred to… hunt?" Alex asked weakly. Seth frowned and shook his head.

"Bred to kill." Seth corrected. "And if we don't return back to our home planet in time, the invasion will proceed." Alex gulped.

"We seriously need to find your spaceship."She said. Sara and Seth nodded vigorously.

"Ya think?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. She paused and looked at me like she just now noticed me.

"And who are you?" She asked. I shrugged.

"I'm Wire. I… ran into these guys on the road, and since I enjoy this planet and would like to _not_ be invaded, I figured I should try to help them. Not that I've been doing a good job at that, but whatever." I said. Jack rolled his eyes and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Don't sell yourself short kid. You've done more than you think." Jack said sternly. Sara nodded.

"Indeed… But perhaps… when you get 'that feeling' that something bad is going to happen, you should tell us, even if you think you're just being paranoid. We could have been more prepared if you had warned us." She suggested. I gave a sheepish grin and nodded.

"Will do." I said. "Now… can we get this show on the road?" Alex nodded.

"Follow me." She said before walking off. Jack followed her and I trailed behind Sara and Seth.

Alex stopped in front of two guys and discussed some things with them, but I wasn't paying too much attention. I was looking around. Something didn't feel right… Seth noticed and turned to me, Sara turning as well.

"Are you alright?" Seth asked. I made a face and shrugged.

"I… I don't know. It may just be the fact that I hate crowds, but… I don't feel right. I'm sure I'm just paranoid. Don't… don't worry about it too much." I said with a forced smile. Seth threw me another concerned look before turning to follow Jack, who was following the two guys he and Alex were just talking to.

They led us to a RV and knocked on the door. A voice came through telling us to go away, and something about book signings and brochures.

"Harlen, its Alex Friedman!" Alex said. The door opened and Alex was greeted by a smiling old man.

"Doctor Alex Friedman." He said smugly, "What a surprise." He didn't really sound surprised…

"We need to speak with you immediately." Alex said, "It is incredibly important." He smirked and opened the door wider.

"Well then, come in, come in!" Harlen said.

-One explanation later-

"So you're saying the four of you witnessed this reported UFO crash?" Harlen asked. We all nodded.

"That's right." Jack confirmed.

"We were wondering if there was any intel amongst your sources." Alex finished. Harlen stared at Alex.

"I hate lying." Harlen said with a glare, "I _really_ don't like lying. I can tell when people are lying to me." I paused and glanced at Sara and Seth. Harlen smiled. "But, thankfully, your story checks out with all the reports I got from SETI and NORAD and NASA."

"We have reason to believe that government-sponsored operatives have recovered the spacecraft." Seth told him. Harlen motioned for him to move away.

"Okay, back up a little." Harlen told Seth, "This is not space camp. Let the experts do their work." I gritted my teeth. Oh, how I hate people like him, who think that just because we're kids means that we're never going to be right, and that they know everything… "You know, you're very lucky, you three, that you didn't come face to face with the aliens who were in that craft!" Seth cocked his head to the side and I resisted the urge to punch the guy.

"They're like deadly praying mantises. They eat your flesh!" Harlen said. I gritted my teeth.

"Oh. Yes, we are, indeed, lucky kids not to have had our flesh eaten by the aliens." Sara said unsurely and Seth nodded. I snorted.

"You got that right." Harlen said before turning to his computer, "Okay. Let's go to work here. I got an email from a source that sent me this sat-grab."

"Where would they take the spaceship?" Alex asked, "51? Nellis? Wright-Patterson? Vandenberg?"

"Well," Harlen said, "From the size and the scope of the crash, I would say that there's only one possibility. Witch Mountain." Wait… _Which_ mountain? "Let's take a look. Here we go. California. About fifty miles from the border of Nevada. It's one of our top-secret facilities. I got a schematic here someplace." Harlen turned to us.

"You know, if you're planning on visiting; don't." He said, "When I say this place is fortified up to the yin yang, I'm making an understatement." He handed the schematic to Alex. "Here's the schematic. And do you have the book?" He asked. Alex nodded.

"Yes, I do." She answered. Harlen nodded.

"Alright then," He said handing her another paper, "and here's an aerial view." Alex smiled.

"Thank you, Harlen, for everything." Alex said. As we turned to leave, Harlen spoke again.

"Whatever trouble you're in…" Harlen said ominously, "Trust no one…" I nodded. Damn straight. We walked out of the RV and walked back into the convention.

While we were walking, as I was looking around cautiously, Sara and Seth stopped.

"Thank you," Sara said, "All three of you. Seth and I understand you don't have to go forward with us-and yet you choose to." Alex smiled.

"You're welcome." Alex said, "And don't worry. We're going to get you home. I promise." She turned to Jack. "I'm going to grab my stuff. Let's meet upstairs in the convention, at my booth, and then we get your cab." Jack paused and stopped her.

"Alex, uh, listen." Jack said, "I can't let you come with us."

"What?" Alex asked in surprise.

"If half of what Harlen says is true, it's way too dangerous." Jack explained, "They got in my cab, they're my problem." Not to mention… I don't think there's any more room in the cab anyways. Alex narrowed her eyes.

"Um, no," Alex said, "I have spent my entire life preparing for this moment, and now, when I have two actual aliens in need of my help, you want me to walk away? It's not going to happen. Man up, soldier. I'm in. Just… lay low, until we meet up." I snickered. She has spirit, I'll give her that. But seriously… How are we going to fit her in the cab? I would prefer to not have a giant dog sit on my lap the entire way to California. Jack snorted.

"Sure. Great. Lay low. Easy. How hard could that be?" Jack asked as he watched her walk away. Sara looked at Jack.

"She thinks you are very handsome." Sara told him. Jack raised his eyebrows.

"Really?" He asked. Sara nodded.

"And smarter than you think you are." She added. Jack paused.

"So she was thinking about me, huh?" Jack asked. Sara nodded.

"At least as much as you were thinking about her." She informed. I snickered and Jack nodded.

"So, she didn't happen to mention in her thoughts that I was…" Jack was cut off as a guy with green painted skin and four arms walked by, yelling that it was show time, and other people in cheap, obviously home-made costumes walked by.

"Should… should we go upstairs now?" Seth asked. Jack nodded, not really paying attention.

"Yeah, let's go upstairs." He said distractedly. Sara and Seth were already headed up stairs when I looked, and Jack was staring after Alex. I rolled my eyes and figured it would be best to follow Seth and Sara to make sure they stayed out of trouble. I jogged after them.

I followed them through the crowds of people, and let me just say, that there were some _weird_ mother fuckers in this place.

Seth and Sara stopped in front of a stage where a play with _terrible_ actors was going on. Some chick told a guy named Conrad that she hoped that there was enough fuel to get back to Earth, and the guy told her to chill out and that they needed to get back to the ship. Sara and Seth watched curiously and I bit back a groan. Such terrible acting…

A guy in a green suit came up, groaning and making other weird noises. The chick gave a -fake- scream of pain and fell to the ground and screamed about her leg. The guy cried out about looking at the 'beast from another galaxy' and how it was disgusting and scary.

Jack came out of nowhere and grabbed Sara and Seth's shoulders as the chick screamed about her leg. Again.

"Didn't I tell you three to stay by my side?" Jack asked. He was ignored as Sara glanced up at him.

"Is this reenactment an important part of Earth's history?" She asked. I snickered.

"No," I told Sara, "This is what we call 'really bad acting'." Jack turned us away from the stage telling us to come on. All the sudden I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise, and I pulled myself out of Jack's grasp and turned as people gave gasps of wonder and started clapping. Oh shit… Sara turned and froze before alerting Jack. Jack and Seth turned to see the Siphon. It raised its arm and aimed at us and Seth screamed for Sara.

Sara lifted her hand and part of the stage fell and swung into the Siphon, sending it flying into an amp, sending sparks everywhere. The people were still clapping and cheering as me and Jack pushed Sara and Seth forward, urging them to go. We ran out the door and to the stairs. Jack walked past a corner and leapt back with a curse.

"Other way! Go the other way!" Jack hissed. We nodded and ran near a bunch of slot machines. We hurried through, but stopped short when we saw a bunch of men in black suits. The Men in Black. Shit. We turned to see that we were surrounded and I cursed. I stepped in front of Sara and Seth protectively as I prayed that Bear was right about the vest under my jacket being bullet-proof.

"Sara," Jack said lowly, "Are you listening to what I'm thinking?" Sara moved her hands, and suddenly everyone won the jackpot. _Everyone_. People jumped and screamed with joy, running around, creating the perfect diversion. We ran through the crowds of celebrating people.

We ran into Alex as we were running, and Jack grabbed her arm.

"We gotta go!" Jack yelled through the screaming people. Alex seemed really confused, but followed.

"What happened to laying low?" Alex asked as we dodged through the mass of people.

"Who lays low in Vegas?" Jack retorted and I smirked. As we ran, one of the guys must have lost all reason and fired a bullet towards us. I felt a sharp pain in my back and staggered.

"Wire!" Sara cried in alarm as she slowed down. I grimaced and pushed her forward.

"Keep going!" I yelled as I continued to push a worried Sara, and now Seth, forward.

-Ten minutes later-

"Thank you Harlen!" I gasped in relief as I dropped my backpack to the floor and collapsed into one of the built-in couch things in the RV as Jack drove off.

"I take back every bad thing I thought about you!" I mumbled into the cushion.

**Author's Note-**

**What'd** **I tell ya? I said I was going to make this chapter longer, and I did. This is actually the longest one yet. Woo!**

**... Granted, it was only the longest by around 40 to 80 words, but still! It was!**

**Anyways, as always, I hope you enjoyed reading my dumb little story. And hopefully, you learned a bit about body armor, because that one bit, with the bullet-proof stuff, was all true. Yea-uh!  
**

**Peace off and Bless your face**

**, _BlueAsh666_**


	7. Chapter 6

"Wire," Seth murmured shakily, "Wire, you must get up and let us see to your injuries." I looked up.

"What now?" I groaned. Sara looked at me worriedly, with tear filled eyes. Wait… tear filled-what? I got up with a grimace. What are they going on about?

"You were shot as we were fleeing." Sara reminded me worriedly. Oh… oh yeah. Right in the back… Thank god for the International Interceptor.

"I'll be fine." I said patiently. Seth frowned.

"No," He argued, sounding considerably scared, "You will not." I rolled my eyes.

"The Kevlar is crying more than you two, you big babies." I said as I unzipped my hoodie and let it slide onto the seat I had been lying on, showing my vest off. I reached back and felt around. I felt it and grabbed the bullet in the Kevlar and pulled it out, showing it them the completely blood-free bullet. Then next thing I know I was engulfed into hugs from the alien siblings.

"What the fuck…" I grunted. I felt kind of awkward, but I didn't push them off. I just patted their shoulders awkwardly as they hugged me. Seth pulled away first.

"You are sure you are unharmed?" He asked sternly. I nodded and Sara let me go.

"Yeah," I said, "I mean, there's gonna be some bruising, because a bullet from 45. moves at like 1000 something feet per second, but I'll live." Sara gave me a teary smile.

"Seth and I were… very worried about you." She said, sounding _really_ fucking relieved. I smiled.

"Yeah, I gathered that when you two attacked me with hugs." I joked. Sara smiled and Seth looked away, his cheeks tinged pink. I grinned and threw my arm over his shoulder and pulled him closer.

"Aw, come on Seth, don't be like that." I said, "You know I love you!" His cheeks got darker and he pushed me away lightly as I laughed and Sara giggled. I held my arms out for a hug.

"Where's the love?" I asked jokingly. My question was answered when Junkyard leapt into my arms and knocked me down onto my ass. "Oh. There it is." I laughed as Junkyard wagged his tail and licked my chin. I glanced up at the smiling siblings.

"See?" I said, "Junkyard admits that he loves me! Why can't you?"

"We 'love' you." Sara told me, glancing at Seth, "Some of us more so than others." I smirked and stood up, lightly pushing Junkyard off of me.

"Don't back him up, Sara!" I said jokingly, being purposely over dramatic. What can I say? I was finally out of that cab and able to stand up and walk around and stuff, _and_ I wasn't dead, I was feeling happy. I glanced over to the front, where I could hear them laughing at us.

"You love me, don't you Jack?" I called. I could hear him laugh.

"Yeah, sure I do!" Jack called back.

"Alex?" I asked.

"Sure!" Alex laughed. I looked back at Seth and smirked.

"See?" I said, "It's okay to show the love." Seth rolled his eyes and Sara giggled. "Oh, come on." I teased, "Don't be such a grump." He ignored me and I shrugged and raised my hands in defeat.

"Fine, fine," I said with a grin, "I was willing to give hugs all around, but… Have it your way..." I reached into my back pocket and pulled out a pack of cards.

"Anyways… I'm feelin' lucky," I said, "You two wanna play poker with me?"

-An hour and a half later-

I grimaced and looked at Junkyard, who was watching me expectantly. I checked Junkyard's cards and froze. Royal Flush. For the third time in a fucking row. I groaned and threw down my cards.

"What?" I groaned to Junkyard, "That's the third game in a row you've won. Not _only_ that, but that's also the third royal flush! What the hell bro?" Seth stared at me.

"You're kidding." He said blankly. I waved to the cards.

"Feel free to check!"I said exasperatedly as I leaned back and watched as he looked. Seth's eyes narrowed and he threw his cards down as well. I glared at the dog next to me.

"How do you do it?" I asked. Junkyard leaned closer and licked my glasses lens. I made a face. I took them off and cleaned them with my hoodie, which was sitting on my lap. I looked around the table.

"Suddenly," I said glumly, "I don't feel quite so lucky." I said as I rested my head on the table.

"Did Junkyard win again?" Jack called back to us. I groaned.

"Yeah." I answered. I heard Jack laugh and I pouted to myself. "Does anyone still want to play poker?" I asked around the table. Seth and Sara made faces and shook their heads. I shrugged before grabbing all the cards and putting them back into their box. No one moved and as I looked around, a thought struck me. I grabbed my backpack, which had been sitting by my feet and pulled out one of the empty books and a pencil. I opened it and grabbed the pencil and started drawing, looking up occasionally at the siblings. I paused and looked at Junkyard.

"Go sit by them, would ya?" I asked. The dog gave a soft bark and squeezed in between Seth and Sara. I grinned. Perfect. As I went back to drawing, I heard Seth speak.

"What are you doing?" He asked. I kept my eyes on the paper.

"What does it look like?" I asked, "I'm drawing."

"What are you drawing?" Sara asked. I looked up at them before going back down.

"You guys." I answered. They stayed quiet as I drew, and didn't move too much. After about eight minutes or so, I was done. I set down the book and looked between them and my drawing before giving a satisfied nod. Seth scootched closer.

"Are you finished?" He asked. I nodded. "Can we see it?" I smiled and stretched.

"If I didn't want you to see it, I wouldn't have thrown it on the table, in the wide-open, for any and all eyes to see." I said sarcastically. He rolled his eyes and moved so he was sitting right next to me. Sara got up and sat on my other side to look as well.

It wasn't exactly the most detailed drawing I'd ever done, but I could tell it was them, so I was content with it. Seth cocked his head to the side and Sara smiled.

"You are an excellent artist." She complimented. I felt my cheeks heat up and I shifted in my seat.

"I-I wouldn't say that…" I said sheepishly. Seth looked up at me.

"I would," Seth said, and I felt my cheeks grow warmer. I rubbed at my cheeks with my hands and gave an awkward cough.

"Thanks, but… I-I'm really not that good… I'm decent at best." I mumbled, "I'm better at writing…" Sara perked up.

"You are a writer? What do you write?" Sara asked curiously.

"A lot of stuff," I said, "Stories, poems, plays, lyrics…" I trailed off awkwardly and scratched my neck. Seth raised an eyebrow.

"I… did not know that," Seth said slowly, "You never seemed like the type to be a poet." I snorted

"Yeah, I get that a lot," I said with a roll of my eyes, "But that's usually why you… ya know… ask. To find out stuff you didn't know…" Seth snorted and rolled his eyes and I smirked at him before leaning my head back against the wall with a sigh.

I heard paper rustling and opened my eyes. I looked over to see the guilty-looking culprit. It's Seth. Surprise, surprise…

_Not_.

"What're you doing Sunshine?" I asked, "And why do you look guilty?" He looked at me sheepishly and held up my book. I raised an eyebrow and smiled. "There are only like two other pages I drew on. I don't really care if you look." Seth gave me a small smile.

"Thank you." He said. I grinned before cocking my head to the side. What can I say? Seth is rubbing off on me.

"No problem," I said, "You know… you should smile more. You're pretty hot to begin with; but if you stopped glaring and smiled some, man, I bet the girls would _flock_ around you like flies to honey." His face exploded with red, and he looked so fucking adorable, I couldn't help but laugh. I tried not to, but I failed.

I could hear Sara laugh as I watched Seth stutter and blush. It was so friggin' cute, let me tell ya. I wrapped my arm around his shoulders as he struggled to speak (and or breathe.) and pulled him closer with a cheeky grin.

"What's wrong Seth? Cat got your tongue?" I teased as I laughed. He glared out the window as his face continued to glow red. I smirked and turned to Sara.

"Are all people from your planet this… shy?" I chuckled. Seth turned glared at me.

"Are all humans so… so…" Seth trailed off as he tried to think of a word. So I figured I'd try to help him.

"Honest?" I offered. Seth opened his mouth to retort, but paused and stared at me in surprise, as I took my arm off his shoulder to crack my knuckles.

"You think that I am-"

"Hot?" I said with a shrug and a grin, "Yeah, I won't lie. It would be kinda dumb to lie anyways, considering the fact that Sara can read minds." Seth stared at me.

"Yes…" He started, "But I can_not_. Why would you tell me that…?" I put my arms behind my head and rolled my eyes.

"Well it's not like you don't know it," I froze as a thought hit me. "Wait… you… _do_ know it, right?" Seth continued to stare at me blankly, his cheeks bright red. "Uh oh… that's a no, isn't it?" I asked weakly. Seth nodded slowly. My hand met my face and I made a few unintelligible noises before looking back at Seth dubiously.

"You're kidding…" I looked at Sara, "He's kidding right?" She bit back laughter and shook her head at me apologetically. Unbelievable…

"Do you like, I don't know-not have reflections on your planet, or are you just crazy stupid, or what?" I asked bluntly. He shrugged and looked at his hands. I rolled my eyes.

"Just… look at the drawings Sunshine." I said. I turned to Sara. "Can you get up a sec? I'm gonna take a nap."

"But the sun is still out…" Sara said unsurely. I shrugged. Just because the sun's out doesn't mean I can't be tired. It's gonna be a while until we get where we need to be, and I could use the sleep. She nodded and stood up.

"Thank you." I yawned as I got up after grabbing my bag. Sara smiled.

"You are quite welcome." Yeah… they still talk like royalty… but I kind of like it. It's different, but a good different. It was kind of odd and a tad bit annoying at first, but it really grows on you.

I folded my jacket up and threw it down on the couch, then set my bag down on the floor. I unstrapped my trusty kukri knife and put it in my bag. I undid the straps to the International Interceptor and slipped it over my head. I paused and decided to keep on the D.A.P.S. before collapsing onto the couch with a grunt. I squirmed a bit before I rolled onto my side, facing the seat with my back to everyone, before putting my hoodie under my head as a makeshift pillow. I could hear Jack and Alex talking in the front, and Sara and Seth murmuring to each other. Soon enough, my breathing slowed and my eyelids drooped. God I hope I don't get a nightmare… When I get them, I usually wake up screaming, and it would be _really_ hard to explain that one…

As it turns out, I didn't even have to worry about it. Jack hit a painfully large bump and I fell off the couch. And landed right on my freaking back. I just have the best luck, don't I?

I hadn't thought I'd made any noise, but I must've, and it must've sounded terrible, because Sara, Seth, and Alex all jumped up like their asses were on fire. Jack swerved the RV to the side of the road before rushing over. The pain in my back was… abso-fucking-lutely horrible. By then, I had rolled back over onto my stomach and ground my teeth together. I could hear voices, but I didn't listen to what they were saying.

The pain was sharp, but it faded pretty quickly, except for this one spot in my shoulder. It wasn't unbearable though. I looked up to see four worried faces.

"I'm fine," I mumbled, "I just… let me get up." I moved my arms to push myself up, but I quickly plopped back onto the floor with a groan as my shoulder burned in protest. "You know what… I think I'm just gonna stay on the floor a while…" I said into the floor.

"Kid tell us what's wrong," Jack said worriedly, "And don't try to tell us it's nothing. That was obviously _something_." I shook my head into the floor. I'm stubborn, okay? I don't want to be left behind, I want to help.

"Wire, you should tell them." Sara said, trying to ease me into admitting I was hurt. Ha, she's funny…_ As if I would ever fucking do that._

I felt my shirt being lifted and I scowled and tried to get up. That didn't work out well and I fell back down.

"Shit!" I growled as I turned my head to see Alex, Jack, and Seth wince. I banged my forehead into the floor. "It's not as bad as it looks…" I said weakly, hoping they would leave it be.

"You are one stubborn son of a bitch, kid." I heard Jack utter. I gave a short laugh.

"You have no idea." I muttered.

"We have to take you to a hospital." Alex said. I jerked up with a yelp, which was cut off by a hiss of pain. My fear overcame my pain, though, and I stayed up. It hurt though. It hurt a _lot_.

"No!" I cried out, "No hospitals!" I have a bit of a phobia for hospitals… Shut up. I know it's childish, I don't care. They're too bright, cold, and it smells like metal and blood… I _loathe_ hospitals… for a lot of reasons that I don't like to think about…

"But it looks like-"

"I don't care if my back looks like bloody hamburger!" I yelped, "If you take me to a hospital, I will escape, by any means. I don't care if I have to crawl out-I will do it." Sara put a hand on Alex's shoulder to stop her from replying and stared at me solemnly.

"You witnessed a great many deaths in a hospital…" I cursed as I glared at the floor. I hate myself… why can't I control my thoughts? Goddamnit. Sara sighed and looked at Alex. "She is painfully stubborn… perhaps we can just clean her wounds and wrap them up, for the time being?" Sara suggested. Relief came over me in waves. Sara, if you can hear me, thank you _so_ much. Oh my God. I looked at Alex and nodded vigorously.

"N-Not t-to mention the fact that we're in the process of saving the world!" I said quickly. "We don't have time to stop. Speaking of which, Jack get up and start driving again, it's all good." Jack narrowed his eyes.

"You aren't getting out of it this easy," He scolded, "What do you think Alex?" I looked at Alex. She made a face as she thought. After a few seconds, she came to a decision.

"Wire's right. We don't have time to go back and stop by a hospital," She sighed, "She's obviously made it this far okay, I suppose she could keep going a bit more… But we're cleaning it and wrapping it up." I sighed in relief.

"I'll take it." I said looking at Jack and shooing him away.

"Well, go on. Don't just stand there," I scolded playfully, "Go drive. Get to gettin'." Jack rolled his eyes and fought off a smile.

"I'm only giving in because Alex said it was okay, and she's a doctor." Jack grumbled as he walked to the front and started the RV back up. I snorted and tried to stretch out my back. It didn't work out too well, and then I remembered how much it hurt, especially with the skin on my back all stretching and stuff. I bit back a scream, with only a small squeak coming out of me. I gave a strangled laugh and pointed to the floor.

"Right," I choked out, "I'm gonna go back onto the floor now." I fell onto the floor with little grace, but I didn't really care. Sara and Seth gave me concerned looks, but I waved them off. I looked to Alex to see her scrounging around in a cabinet that I had never even noticed before.

"So Alex," I asked, "How is this gonna work? I don't think we have a lot to make do with here…"

"We have more than you think." Alex said before turning around with a first aid kit, a clear bottle full of what looked like water, and a few small towels. I blinked.

"Well," I stated, "That's convenient." I wiggled around a bit and folded my arms, resting my chin on them before looking at Alex.

"Well then, doctor, what's first?" I asked. She moved my shirts up to my shoulders, and Seth shifted uncomfortably. I smirked at him before looking back at Alex.

"Well, first we clean it, so that I can see just how bad it is under all that dried blood." She said as she opened the first aid kit and grabbed one of the towels and started opening the bottle with water. Or at least, I _thought_ it was water. But then I noticed what it said on the label.

_Alcohol_.

"Oh _HELL_ no!" I cried as I pushed the bottle out of her hand in an attempt to spill it on the floor. Unfortunately, the top wasn't all the way off, and only a little got spilt. Alex picked it up quickly before anymore could come out.

"What are you doing?" She asked as I glared at her.

"No fucking alcohol!" I said angrily, "Do you know how much that shit hurts?"

"It's not going to hurt, it's burn-free alcohol." She scolded. I looked at her like she was stupid.

"What the hell are you on?" I yelped, "That shit burns like FIRE!" Alex rolled her eyes and turned to Seth, who had been watching our little exchange, unsure of what to do, as well as Sara.

"Hold her arms down." Seth paused uncertainly before nodding and scooting over so that he was sitting in front of me and grabbed my arms. I looked between him and Alex in disbelief.

"This-This is mutiny!" I cried. I glared daggers at Seth. "Let me go you-you-you… traitor! Backstabber! If you don't let me go, I'll-I'll… I don't know what I'll do, but you won't fuckin' like it!" Seth looked at me apologetically as Alex poured the alcohol on the towel and I started to panic.

"My apologies," Seth murmured, "But this is necessary. I would rather have you upset with me than have you become even more injured."

If I were thinking normally, I would have thought that what he said was kind of sweet, but I wasn't thinking normally. I was trying to avoid _mucho dolor_. That means 'a lot of pain'. Because yes, I can usually ignore pain, but that doesn't mean it still doesn't _fucking hurt_.

I struggled to get my arms away, and when I started to use my legs to get ready to kick myself into Seth to surprise him and, thus, let me go, Sara grabbed them.

"Shit." I groaned before giving up and laying still. I wasn't going to win this, and I knew it. I glared up at Seth until I felt an extreme burning in my lower back.

"AGH, FUCKSHIT THAT _BURNS_!" I lashed up in a vain attempt to get away. Alex pulled away the towel when Sara let out a yelp. I ground my teeth together and grimaced before turning my head to try to look at Sara. "Did I kick you? Are you okay?" I asked concernedly. Aw man bro… I didn't want to hurt her… I didn't want to hurt _anyone_. Shit.

"You did not harm me. You _almost_ did, but you did not." I breathed a sigh of relief. Good.

"Sorry for… almost… you know… kicking you in the face." I said sheepishly.

"It's alright," Sara said, "You did not try to intentionally harm me." I nodded and sighed.

"Oh my god, this sucks _balls_." I grumbled to myself before glaring at the floor. "Alright Doc, let's get this over with…"

I felt the pain again and I dug my fingernails into the palm of my hand and bit my lip until it bled to keep from thrashing around. A few muffled whimpers and groans of pain came out, but other than that, I was relatively quiet. When she stopped I let out the breath I had been holding and slammed my forehead into the floor.

"Shit that hurt." I gasped as I took shallow breaths. I looked up at Seth. "We're done, right?" I asked weakly. When Seth shook his head, I whimpered and let my head fall back to floor.

"I think," Alex said apologetically, "This is going to hurt the worst. There's more blood on your upper than there was on your lower, and that was what I cleaned first…" I groaned. Oh my fucking GOD. I looked at Alex.

"Just… give me a second." I sighed. She nodded and Seth let go of my arms. I wiped the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand then examined my palms and sighed. They were bloody… whoops. Fuck. I licked my lips and tasted blood. I made a face before wiping off the blood on my lip. I cracked my knuckles and before sighing and holding my arms out for Seth to grab.

Seth grabbed my hands-which were still bloody- and I raised an eyebrow.

"Do you want your hands to be broken or do you have some blood fetish, or what?" I asked. Seth rolled his eyes as pink dusted his cheeks.

"Blood can be washed off, and I would prefer to have blood on my hands than have you injure yourself further..." He reminded me impatiently. I snickered.

"Maybe so, but I'm still gonna break your-"I paused when I remembered, "Wait… oh yeah… you're gonna use your powers…?" He nodded at me like I was mentally retarded or something. I scowled.

"I forgot, okay? Yeesh..." I defended. I glanced back at Alex, who had been watching me and Seth with amusement.

"Alright, let's get the rest of this over and done with." I sighed. Alex nodded and picked up the towel.

I gave a sharp intake of breath as she cleaned out my upper back, before banging my head against the floor. This time, instead of mutilating my poor lip, I settled saying every curse I could think of, in any and every language I could think of.

"Fuck," I whimpered, "Shit. Cock. Bitch. Hell. Cazzo. Merda. Affanculo. Stronzo. Minchia. Los cojones. _Hijo de puta_. Ane."

"You certainly have a large arsenal of swear words." I heard Alex say. I gave a short, rather weak laugh.

"That's not even half of what I know." I gasped out. When she moved onto my shoulder, the one that had been throbbing the most, I gave a short scream that was quickly strangled when I realized what I just did.

"_Fiche moi le paix!_ Goddamnit-stop!" I yelled. She pulled it away quickly. I took deep breaths as sweat ran down my forehead. "Fuck-ow-ow-_ow_." I groaned. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"I know it hurts," Alex comforted, "But it'll make it better in the long run."

"Yeah, no shit." I muttered. I glanced at Seth, "Hey, I don't suppose you could-"

"Before you can finish," Sara cut in, "He would _not_ punch you in the face and knock you out." I made a face. Damn… oh well… had to try…

Alright, I'm good… let's do it." I whimpered. Seth gave my hands a light squeeze and a comforting smile. I tried to smile back, but I'm pretty sure it was a grimace.

-15 agonizing and pain-filled minutes later-

I looked up at Seth, probably looking _really_ pitiful.

"_Please_ tell me she's done…" I whimpered. He nodded and I let out a small _hallelujah_ before resting my head on the floor. "So we've just got the wrapping to do, now, right?" I asked.

"Not… quite…" Alex said apologetically.

I lifted my head to stare at her. When she held up some sharp tweezers I felt my heart beat increase drastically in my chest, before yelping and trying to get away with ferocity more intense than ever.

"NO!" I yelled, "NO, FUCK NO-_FUCK YOU!_" I thrashed around and Alex tried to calm me down while Seth and Sara held me down. Jack yelled back at us.

"You sure you guys don't need some help?"

"_NO_, Jack! Now you listen here-I have an _EXTREME_ phobia of sharp, pointy things in my bodily parts! _FUCK OFF!_" I screamed, "I have tolerated more than I ever have in my entire life-THIS IS WHERE I DRAW THE FUCKING LINE!" Seth yelled at Alex to stop for a minute, and I stopped struggling like my life depended on it, and settled with weakly fighting him off when Alex put the tweezers down.

"Wire, listen to me," Seth said, "You have bark in your wound, and we _must_ clean your wound, lest we risk having you get an infection, and we cannot do that when you are thrashing around." I glared at him.

"Fuck. You." I said through gritted teeth, "Let me get a goddamn infection. I would prefer it over _this_. Do you know how much this shit _hurts_? Why don't we take Achilles and cut up _your_ back, and put that shit on it, and see how _you_ like it?" Seth gave an exasperated sigh.

"You are being irrational about th-"

"You better fucking believe I'm being irrational! I shouldn't have even let it go on this far! How stupid can I get?" I interrupted. Seth sighed again. At first, I thought I had won, but then I noticed the look on his face…

He looked like I had just kicked his puppy, multiple times. Then ran over it with a monster truck. Then shot it a few times… and then drowned it, then burnt the corpse to ashes, then pissed on the puppy's ashes, and then swept up the ashes and threw them into a pile of horse shit just for good measure. I swear to whatever god is up there, I had _no_ idea eyes could be that expressive.

"Please…" Seth said softly, "I do not wish for you to be injured any further…" I swear I tried not to give in… but the _eyes_ man! My resolve cracked and I cursed myself for being such a _fucking softie_.

"Oh my fucking god…" I groaned, "You _so_ owe me one, goddamnit-Fine! Just stop with the face, for shit's sake!"

I glanced back at Alex and Sara, who were watching me with raised eyebrows. Yeah, I know… I gave up pretty quick, am I right?

"What are you waiting for? It's time to make my phobia of sharp, pointy things in my bodily parts even _worse_. Let's do it bitches." I said with extremely fake enthusiasm.

-45 minutes later-

I winced as Alex tied the last of the bandages and pulled my shirts back down. Seth finally let my hands go, and I groaned into the floor. I was too tired to whimper in pain.

"Are… you going to get up?" I heard Alex ask.

"No…" I mumbled into the floor, "It hurts too much…"

"Do you want me to pick you up?" Alex asked concernedly. I waved her off.

"Hell no… leave me on the floor…" I groaned. "Let me sleep… "I carefully and slowly curled up into a ball, wincing when I stretched it out too quick. I closed my eyes and let the exhaustion wash over me.

I swear man; I must have done something _terrible_ in a past life or something, Jesus H. Christ…

**Author's note**

**Another part that alot of people tend to skip, which sucks because it's like a day and a half of things and places and conversations that could be explored, you know?**

**I'm going to try to finish this before Christmas, so I can put a special little drabble****-type thing at the end. If I don't finish the main story before Christmas, then... Oh well. I'm still putting up a Christmas special, late or not. Fuck that, bro.**

**And a _huge_ thank you to the three people who reviewed my dumb little story :) I was getting a little worried that the RTWM fandom was dead, or that my story was ****goddamn awful that no one survived after reading my little monstrosity. But that wasn't the case, obviously, so you know... thanks.**

**Anywho, tell me if I made any mistakes, a'ight?  
**

**,BlueAsh666  
**


	8. Chapter 7

When I woke up, I was surprisingly warm. I felt safe and extremely comfortable. But the thing that made me open my eyes was the fact that whatever my cheek was against was throbbing or pulsing or something… The first thing I noticed was the smell of a pumpkin spice latte. I looked around sleepily. I saw… arms… around me, holding me to a chest. I blinked. What the fuck, I can't really remember what happened last night… and my head hurts…

Oh shit, did I get drunk last night and have sex with some random stranger or something? That thought was flown out the window when I realized that I still had my pants on. Thank god for that… I looked up and saw Seth. Oohhh… Seth…

Wait… Seth? What the fuck? I bit back a yelp and resisted the urge to push him away. It's cool… Keep. Calm... _caaaallm._ I took a deep breath and sighed.

Wow. That woke me up…

…

Hang on a tick… _My_ alien Seth? My super duper ray of freaking sunshine that can pretty much turn into a human wall? What the fuck-_Why_ the fuck-Seth is shy as a bitch, what the hell?

…

Oh shit, I just had a thought… maybe I _did_ get drunk, and also got Seth drunk, because I'm pretty sure Seth wouldn't… Oh fuck, did I do something with him? Because if I did, I at least want to remember it! Come _on_, bro! Obviously we didn't have sex so…

Oh wait. Our shirts our on… and Seth doesn't have any hickies, so chances are nothing happened… but how did I get on the seat? Didn't I fall asleep on the floor…?

… Oh, that ass… Seth must have picked me up. After I specifically told him, and everyone else, to leave me on the floor.

I looked around. Junkyard was sleeping on my jacket, and Sara was sleeping on the other chair-sofa-thing. Seth had put his jacket over the two of us and slept on the outside, preventing me from falling again. Aw… I _knew _he cared! That's sweet… But when he wakes up, it's probably going to be _really_ awkward for him…

I'm going to have to tease him about it. We all know it. I just _have_ to. I can't even begin to describe how funny it is to see Seth, the big, tough one of the alien siblings, blush like a school girl. It's kinda cute, but also really funny and just a tad bit dumb-looking at the same time.

This just amuses me so much… Seth the alien, finally coming out of his shell…

I moved my legs to stretch them out, but they didn't move. What the… oh. Our legs are tangled together… that's kind of lame. I tried to untangle them but I was unsuccessful. I made a face. Aw man, am I gonna need to wake up Seth for this? I tried to tug my legs away again, with no success. This is gonna need to be a two person effort… shit.

I looked up at Seth's sleeping face and felt a twinge of guilt. He looked so peaceful… he even had a small smile on his face and everything… and I'm gonna wake him up and disturb his sleep, and he's undoubtedly going to be the _opposite_ of calm when he wakes up and stuff… I'd have to be a terrible person to wake him up when he looks so peaceful…

But I never denied I was terrible or implied I wasn't, so boo-hoo for him. If he's upset about it, then I'll give him a tissue.

"Seth," I whispered, "C'mon Sethy, get up Sunshine." I reached up and lightly patted his cheeks. He still didn't stir. Actually, no, that's a lie. He _did_ stir, but only to get a little closer to tighten his hold on me, and buried his face into my shoulder…

Wow... _awkward_…

"Seth, the Siphon is after us." I tried. No response, "Your planet is invading ours." Nope. "If you don't get up, I'll knee you in the nuts." I wouldn't _really_, of course, I just said it to try to get him up. But it didn't work. "Seth I love you." That one sort of worked. His shifted a little bit… I smirked as I got a devious idea and lightly pushed his head out of my shoulder. I leaned closer and kissed him on the nose. His nose twitched and his eyes fluttered open. I snickered and shook my head in disbelief. I can't believe it worked… It's all so unbelievably cliché… Like… a crappy vampire movie…

Seth looked at me through half lidded eyes and smiled dopily at me. I smirked back at him.

"Good morning, Sunshine." I said softly, "Not that I'm uncomfortable or anything, because I'm not. I'm actually very comfortable and warm and stuff, but could you let me stretch out my legs?" He nodded and straightened his legs and backed away a bit, untangling my legs from his. I stretched the muscles in my legs before putting them back the way they were. I gave a satisfied nod before looking back at Seth.

"Alright, I'm good." I informed him cheerfully. He nodded and pulled me back into his chest as I smirked. I wonder how long it would take him to realize what he was doing and go back to being shy Seth?

It was taking longer than I thought it would. He was still calm, and he still had that tired half-smile on his face. But I wasn't complaining, because in all honesty, I liked being where I was. Seth was warm, and the musky pumpkin spice smell coming off of him was nice. I really like Pumpkin Spice Latte's, so naturally, I like his smell too. Like… a lot. I need to figure out what cologne or spray or whatever he uses to make him smell like that, because I would like to get some. And spray it all over my room, when I find one to live in. If the government monkeys haven't found me and killed me by then.

I felt Seth stiffen and I looked up to see his face bright red. I sighed. There's my little ray of Sunshine… I put my hand over his mouth before he could speak.

"You're not going to yell or scream." I told him quietly, "You're going to talk in the same volume I'm talking in, and you're not going to freak out or anything, right?" When he nodded I took my hand off his mouth.

"Now, could you explain to me why I woke up to find you cozying up to me? I mean, I know I'm sexy and all, but was it really that difficult to keep your hands off me?" I teased. His face got darker and I snickered.

"Jack turned up the air conditioner last night to help keep him from falling asleep, and you were shivering." Seth defended quietly. I raised an eyebrow.

"Fair enough. So tell me," I said, "Why you had to snuggle me, instead of just getting a blanket or a towel or something?" Seth couldn't come up with an answer, and avoided my eyes. I rolled my eyes. He never even thought of doing that, did he?

No, probably not…

"Relax Seth, I don't really care that much," I assured him, "It was actually kind of sweet." He looked into my eyes quickly and gave a shy smile. I grinned. Oh my god, this guy is… friggin' cute. I just wanna snuggle him or something!

"You know, Seth," I said slowly, "If circumstances were different, I think I probably would have chased after you. Which is kinda weird, because I normally don't go after shy guys." He averted his eyes and his face got darker. Again.

"I am not shy." He grumbled. I nodded. He was most likely right. I'm just a little… weird.

"You know, you're probably right." I agreed as I idly scratched my neck, "I'm just odd. I don't really get shy anymore. I guess being around loud, bold gang members does that to you. I'm uh… what's the word… extroverted, or something." He didn't respond and I shrugged it off. We lay there a few minutes before I remembered something.

"So uh… you can stop… holding me now, if you want." I mumbled, "I'm not in danger of pneumonia anymore, so…" His face, which had just started to go back to its normal shade, got red again and he moved his arms back to himself. He pulled his jacket off of him and onto me and sat up a bit drowsily. He looked at Jack.

"Are we there yet?" Seth asked Jack. I stared at him. Did he really just…? Oh my god… I _love_ this kid!

I laughed as Seth looked between me and Jack confusedly.

"'Are we there yet?'" I heard Jack laugh, "Good in any universe, apparently. Well, Alex?"

"Yes." We are? I looked out a window to see a large plateau I hadn't noticed until just now… How did I miss that? Bajeezus… I need to get some new glasses or something soon…

-10 minutes later-

Jack had found a spot to park, and I was currently helping him hide the RV by cutting off branches with Achilles, and handing them to Jack. When we had down just about everything we could do, we heard Alex begin talking.

"The maps are thirty years old," Alex told us, "But they're the best Intel we've got." I sheathed Achilles as Jack looked around.

"It looks to be about five miles from here." He said. He looked back at Sara, Seth, Junkyard and I. "Let's rock and roll." I grinned and tightened my awesome canteen's strap, and fiddled with one of the International Interceptor's straps before looking up, ready to go.

"Alright, let's do some hiking! Woo!" I cheered. I know it's kind of weird, but I like hiking. My dad and I used to hike all the time. I jogged ahead. "I'm gonna go ahead a bit, and make sure it's all clear. If you hear me yell, you know what happened." I told Jack before passing him. He didn't call me back, so I figured he was cool with it. I stopped at a small creek to wait for them… I don't wanna get too far ahead. I looked around for anything suspicious, but I didn't see anything, so I took off my hoodie and tied it around my waist with the sleeves. I don't know why, but I felt like I was being watched…

_Nah_, it's probably nothing…

I hopped onto one of the larger rocks in the middle of the stream and sat down. Geeze they're taking a long time. They must be new at the whole hiking thing, or something.

To pass the time, I examined Achilles. There was a pretty damn big dent in it, and a bunch of scratched on the tip, I'm guessing from the Siphon. I really need to find out what that guy was wearing… Achilles is sharp and strong enough to decapitate a human head with ease. And I'm pretty sure I had only _just barely_ hurt the Siphon when I was digging Achilles into its neck as hard as I could. What was he wearing, and _where can I get some?_ I could use some of that! I'd be like a human tank with that stuff! Like… like Master Chief, from Halo! Except without the scientifically altered body and the voices in my head… That part would suck… I'm already mentally unstable enough; I think another voice in my head would _really _make me lose it. All of it.

When I finally saw them moving through the trees, I stood up. As they got within hearing range, I yelled at them.

"What took ya so long?" I asked as they walked, ever so slowly. You would think they would be in a bit more of a hurry, with us trying to save the worlds and all. Jack narrowed his eyes at me.

"Not all of us hike on mountains on regular basis, you know." He said. I snorted.

"What, you think I do this on a regular basis?" I asked, "Ha! If only… Nah, you got it all wrong. This is the first time I've been hiking in… two, almost three years." Jack glared at me.

"Now you're just showing off…" He grumbled.

"If I wanted to show off," I told him, "I would almost be there by now." I held up my canteen and shook it, silently asked if anyone wanted some. Nobody did, and I shrugged it off. I tried… if anyone get's dehydrated, it's not my fault. I looked around for any signs of trouble as they crossed the stream. Sara noticed (of course) and gave me a concerned look.

"What is it?" She asked, bringing everyone's attention to me. Joy…

"Uh… I just… I feel like I'm being watched," I said sheepishly, "It's… it's probably nothing… I can't be right _all_ the time, right?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Right," He said slowly, "Well, let's keep a look out anyways, huh?" I shrugged before motioning for us to keep walking.

I trailed to the end of the group, constantly looking around, because to be honest, I found this whole thing t be suspicious as _hell_. One would think that top secret government bases would have… more. Not that I'm complaining, of course, I just… figured this would be harder, and we would practically be fighting for our lives at this point… Once again, I am _totally_ not complaining. I'm really diggin' the fact the hardest thing I've had to do is walk.

We kept walking for a while until we came near a cliff. Jack told Sara, Seth and I to stay put before going to the edge of the cliff to scope the place out. I looked out into the woods, when I noticed something... odd. I told Seth and Sara to stay there, before walking to the side of whatever the thing was. I squinted my eyes to see it clearer, and then froze. Oh shit-_OH SHIT!_ I got closer as fast, and as quietly as I could before kicking the small camera off the log and smashing it to bits with my foot before running back.

Jack and Alex had come back and were saying something about service tunnels. Screw tunnels! We _have to fucking go!_

"Guys! We have to get out of here! _Now!" _I said, panicked. I pulled Sara and Seth back towards the RV when Jack stopped me. What the hell bro? I'm trying to save all of our asses!

"Woah, woah, woah," Jack said as he tried to calm me, "What's going on?" Oh for fuck's sake!

"We don't have time for this! We have to leave now-"I was cut off as Sara let out a small cry of pain before falling. Jack caught her before she hit the ground. I looked just in time to see Seth reach for his neck with a wince before collapsing. I caught him before he hit the ground and looked at his neck as Jack called Sara and Seth's names, as though that would help the situation. I looked closer at Seth's neck and saw a small, barely noticeable dart. Shit.

I looked up at the sound of footsteps. Suddenly, we were surrounded by lots of people that had guns. A _lot_ of guns. I scowled and pulled Seth closer with one arm, and reached for Achilles with the other. Jack hissed my name and shook his head sharply. He didn't want me to try and fight. Which was understandable, but still… Shit. I don't like it.

I settled with backing up closer to Jack and Alex, who held Sara to her chest protectively. A man in a black suit and sunglasses walked towards us. He looks familiar…

Oh.

Oh shit. That's… I think that's the guy I punched in the face… I just have the _shittiest_ luck, don't I?

"Mr. Bruno and, I believe, Dr. Friedman," He said before turning to me, "And _you_. Oh yes, I know _all_ about you. _Carrie Elyswyer_." I lifted my middle finger at him. This guy seriously needs to _fuck off_!

"What did you to them, you asshat?" I spat angrily.

"Consider yourself lucky," He warned as one of the government goons took Seth from my grip. I moved to punch the guy silly, but Jack grabbed my shoulder and stopped me. "I could have had you three shot on sight for trespassing and violation of US government property."

Sara's head lolled back as she was carried away. She looked… dead. And quite frankly, that pissed me off. Apparently, it pissed off Jack too, because as I leapt forward and elbowed a guy in the face and another in the nuts, I saw Jack run forward as well, struggling against the government goons.

I had been doing pretty well, but then I got the butt of a gun to the eye. It cracked my glasses pretty bad, and undoubtedly turned my almost-gone-but-not-quite-gone-yet black eye back to an I-just-now-got-a-black-eye-and-it's-throbbing-like-hell-ow-fuck one. Then I jabbed in the side with the butt of a different gun. It… hurt. A lot. As I dragged myself off of the ground, I saw Alex helping Jack up. What about helping the kid who can barely see out of her left eye because some asshole broke her glasses?

Why do I even care about that? I gotta help my aliens! I staggered and tried to get to the truck they had taken Sara and Seth too, but then more than half of the government goons turned their guns to me. I froze and glared around at each one individually, looking for a solution. I found none. Jack limped towards me and put his hand on my shoulder. Alex turned to the head honcho-guy and tried to reason with him.

"Sir, with all due respect," She reasoned,"You have to listen to me. They came in peace. We cannot respond with violence. The future of Earth depends on it. It is absolutely vital that they get home." The guy took off his sunglasses, showing off his bruised face.

"They are home, Dr. Friedman," He told her, "They are now in my custody."

"Custody?" Alex asked exasperatedly, "You can't expect to keep them prisoner and get away with it-They have rights! They-"

"They are illegal aliens on US soil," He scowled, "Without so much as a passport. The patriot act enables me to detain them for as long as is necessary." My fist tightened and I refrained from calling this guy a pompous ass. What does he think he's going to gain by this? Does he think that if they don't return, the other aliens aren't going to give a shit? They're already on their way to invade our planet, why give them more reasons to kill us brutally and cruelly?

"You can't keep this quiet." Alex warned him, "The world has the right to know they exist." Not exactly what I was worried about, but yeah, that too. I'd be more concerned about saving the planet, rather than telling the planet about the aliens, but whatever floats your boat, Alex. But why would you tell him that? To his face? Are you daft?

"And you're going to be the one to blow the whistle, Doctor?" He taunted, "A failed astrophysicist fired by three universities for obsessing over UFOs, teamed with an ex-con and a child that was part of a well-know and well-hated gang that caused hundreds of lives to be ruined, or worse, ended, is declaring that the government has captured two normal-looking kids and is holding them hostage inside a mountain that doesn't exist?" He smirked at her.

"It would be so much easier to let you speak than to deal with all the paperwork involved with killing you."

Huh… all those years of Andy telling me that the government was corrupted, who would have guessed that he was right?

"Someone will believe us." Jack told him.

"From behind bars?" He asked, "Let me remind you, Mr. Bruno, as a convicted felon, you're looking at twenty years just for standing on this mountain talking to me. And _you_," He said, turning his attention to me.

"You could be looking at _execution_," He told me,"All the lives you could have taken, ruined… "I glared.

"I didn't do anything other than fix the weapons and help work on the cars." I spat. He smirked.

"Oh, _I_ know that, and _you_ know that, but does anyone else know that? As far as anyone else is concerned, you've been a part of every vandalism, every burglary, every mugging, every rape, and every _murder_ that has ever been committed by the Steel Guns." I scowled.

"You cowardly, lying, no-good, cheating little _fuck_." I spat, "If you weren't hiding behind your goons and your gun, you wouldn't even have had the _balls_ to come up here-because even if you _do_ have any, they would have been shoved so far up your ass that you would choke and spit on them-"Jack cut my angry rant/threat off.

"No. We get the message." He said somberly. I turned to stare at him in disbelief. What? Out of all of us, I expected Jack to be the one to stand firm by my side on this…

"Smart man… Give them a lift back down." The guy said smugly… I really need to stop referring to him as 'the government guy' in my head. It's too long. I think I'll just call him… Gov. Yeah, that works.

"What? That's it? It's over?" Alex hissed. I nodded.

"Yeah Jack, what the hell man?" I asked, calmer. Jack avoided our eyes.

"I'm sorry," He told us, "But I will _not_ go back to prison."

"Prison? _Prison?_" I asked exasperatedly, "Jack, are you deaf? I could get _killed_. But I'm still _more_ than ready to throw myself on the executioner's chair … But I know I can't do this without your help." Jack continued to stare at the ground. One of Gov's goons urged us forwards.

"Let's go."

I walked forward with Jack and Alex and got into the back of a truck with them, sitting between Alex and Jack to make sure they wouldn't start fist-fighting. Alex was _pissed_ at Jack, and everyone knew it. I was more disappointed than anything... As the goons drove, Alex glared out the window.

"Thankfully Sara and Seth didn't have to witness how quickly you gave up." She said stiffly.

"I told them from the beginning it was a suicide mission," Jack defended, "and I wasn't wrong." Alex scowled at him.

"They _trusted_ you! _I_ trusted you!" She said. Jack narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah, well join the club of everyone else in my life who I've disappointed." He said. I grimaced and put a cautious, but also comforting hand on his shoulder. What's done is done. And anyways, I have a plan… The guys up front don't think we'd try anything… They are sadly mistaken. I'll make my move when it seems good.

"They will dissect them like frogs in Biology." She hissed, "You know that!" I winced. I have _got_ to make my move soon.

"It's not my problem and it never was-"

Jack was cut off by Alex reaching over me and slapping Jack. The guy in the passenger side turned to tell us to stop, and I punched to driver in the back of the head at the same time Jack punched the guy in the passenger seat. Then I slammed the driver's face into the window, breaking the glass with his face as Jack followed suit and slammed the passenger into the door. The driver was knocked out and the passenger accidentally opened the door and rolled out as the car slowed. Alex and Jack jumped into the front, Alex opened the driver's side door and pushed the unconscious guy out, taking control of the truck, and Jack and I looked at each other in surprise.

"How long were you planning that?" We asked each other. He motioned for me to go first. I smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

"The moment we started going towards the truck." I answered, "As for you, I really don't care how long you were planning on doing that, I'm just glad you did." Jack smiled at me before turning to Alex, gingerly touching his face.

"That slap, very realistic." He said, "When did you know?"

"You haven't bailed on the kids yet," She reasoned, "Why start now?" He looked back the road. I leaned forwards.

"So, are we ready to save our aliens?" I asked with a grin. Jack looked back at me with a smile.

"You know it, kiddo."

**Author's note:**

**This chapter was a little shorter than I usually do, sorry about that D: The next one _should_ be considerably longer.  
**

**Alright! Now that the slower-ish part is over, and we're back to the fast-paced stuff, I should be writing a lot faster now and have to think less about what I type. I've always been really good at writing fast-paced ****stuff for some odd reason. But whatever, man. I can dig it.  
**

**Thanks to those _awesome_ people who reviewed. You people know who you are. I really appreciate them and all that.**

**And, as always, tell me if I made any mistakes.**

**Peace off and bless your face. If you sneezed while reading this, Bless _you_.**

**Peace off**

**,BlueAsh666**


	9. Chapter 8

Jack struggled to pull the rusted door open. Alex and I stepped forwards to help him.

"Come on… almost…" Jack grunted. We heard a low click and pulled the door open, revealing a dark tunnel. We all paused as we stared into it. Jack looked at Alex and waved her in.

"After you…" he offered. Alex stared at him.

"I'm right behind ya." She said bluntly. I rolled my eyes. Oh my god…

"God you guys are wimps!" I said exasperatedly, "_I'll_ go first, if it makes you babies less scared. Geeze!" I pulled on my hoodie and zipped it up before crouching down and crawling in.

"Thanks…" I heard Jack say meekly from behind me. I snorted and kept going. I looked up and saw what looked like rungs for a ladder.

We kept crawling for a while, until we came to a grate. I looked back at Alex and Jack.

"Back up," I told them, "Back up a second."

"What? Why?" Jack asked. I turned to stare at him.

"Just do it…" I said. He nodded and backed up. I rolled my eyes playfully. Geeze… I reached up and clung to one of the rungs before kicking the grate off with a grunt. As I watched the grate fall, I looked back at Jack with a grin.

"That… felt _so_ awesome." I said, "Like I'm in Splinter Cell!" Jack raised an eyebrow. What? I'm a video game nerd, okay? God…

I grabbed the rungs to keep from falling to my death and began my descent downwards. I looked down as Jack began making his way down, and made a face… We have a _long_ ass way to go…

I looked up and saw Alex looking down, her face white… _Of course_. She's afraid of heights… what was I thinking, that this was going to be _easy_? Of course not! Fate just _loves_ to make things more difficult for me!

"It's gonna be okay, I'm gonna be here the whole time." Jack assured her quickly, "I'll be right below you the whole time." He began going down and I heard Alex take a deep breath.

"I can." I heard Alex say to herself, trying to keep calm as she got onto the ladder.

"You can." Jack assured.

"Here I go…" Alex said unsurely, "Oh boy…"

"You got it." Jack assured her as she climbed down the first rungs. I nodded.

"Yeah!" I said, "And I'm behind Jack, I'll catch you if he falls when he catches you. And if I fall… then… well… It's a long way down. We're going to die the _second_ we hit the ground. No biggie." Alex let out a little squeak of fear and Jack glared down at me.

"What?" I asked, "It's the truth! Would you rather me lie to her, and tell her it's all unicorns and rainbows?" He shook his head and told me to keep going.

We got pretty far down; I just got to another opening, when the tunnel started shaking.

"Agh! What's that?" Jack asked. I looked down and saw a light. Oh shit…

"Oh no…" Alex said, "Exhaust furnace!" Jack and Alex started climbing up, but I grabbed Jack's foot.

"No, this way!" I yelled, "There's another tunnel right below me! Move your asses!" I got into the tunnel and helped Jack get in, who in turn, helped Alex in.

As soon as she squeezed in, I started sliding down the tunnel.

"What the fuuuu-"I screamed as I slid down the tunnel, and, judging by the screams, Alex and Jack slid down too.

I landed on my feet, and quickly moved to the side to avoid getting crushed by Jack. Jack landed on his feet with a grunt, and helped Alex as she hit the ground. We stood there, panting for a while before Jack looked back at us.

"You guys okay?" He asked. Alex and I nodded. "Good." I grimaced when I noticed something.

"Who's ready for more tunnel-crawling?" I asked unenthusiastically. Alex and Jack groaned. I got onto my hands and knees and crawled in. When I saw they weren't following, I paused and turned towards them.

"What are you guys waiting for? Put your asses in motion before I start kicking 'em. We're on a rescue mission! There's no time to stand around!" I called to them. I heard them get into the tunnel and started crawling again. We came to an opening and I motioned for them to stop. I peeked my head out and looked around. All clear…

I crawled out and looked in the tunnel, motioning for them to come on, and put a finger to my mouth. I peeked over the corner to see a guy in a golf cart or something similar coming towards me. I jumped back and stood flat against the wall. They passed by without stopping, and I let out the breath I hadn't even realized I'd been holding. Alex let out a sigh of relief and looked at Jack.

"What now?" She asked. Jack looked at her.

"Find the kids." He told her, "Don't get caught." Alex gave a small nod.

"Good plan." She said. I nodded in agreement.

"Damn straight," I replied, "Now, let's rock."

-Ten minutes later-

We ran through the halls, and I cursed the interior decorators. Seriously, all the hallways looked the same. It was pissing me the fuck off. We heard a voice on an intercom tell all personnel that the south perimeter was closed off. We came to an open room, and Jack peeked over the corner. He quickly came back and motioned for us to stay quiet and peeked back again, this time with Alex and me looking as well. We saw Sara and Seth in white clothes and guys walking around them in those high-radiation suits. They were in a small room, with walls that were probably made of bullet-proof glass. We got back behind the corner and I reached for Achilles.

An alarm went off, and the intercom came on again, and a voice told us that there was penetration in fence sector twenty-eight and to be on alert. A red alarm went off and a _shit_ load of people with guns ran by. When they passed, we got behind a moving golf cart that was dragging a bunch of stuff behind it before hiding behind another wall.

We neared the room, but jumped behind a corner when we saw a guy with a gun standing guard in front of where Sara and Seth were. Shit…

We wondered what to do, but then I noticed something… a metal pipe. It went up and stopped a foot from the ceiling, and went over the corner, and _hopefully_ over where the guard was.

I motioned for Jack and Alex to stay put and stay quiet before scrambling up the pipe, and suddenly, I was glad that I was so scrawny. I pulled my legs up onto the pipe and pulled myself on, pausing every once in a while to move my legs so I wouldn't hit one of the bars that kept the pipe from falling. I stopped when I was directly over the guard and let my legs fall. I hung over the guard for a second, silently thanking my dad for getting me the game that allowed me to know how to do this in the first place, and let myself drop. The guard let out a small grunt and fell to the ground, banging his head against the floor with a low _thunk_. I grinned at the now-unconscious man and whispered for Alex and Jack as I hefted the guy up with a grunt and began dragging him over the corner where I had just been.

Alex and Jack paused and stared at me as I dragged the guy.

"You guys go in without me. Get Sara and Seth. I'll hide this guy." I told them, "You got this." They nodded and I dragged the guy around the corner and sat him behind a box. I was about to get up and leave, but then I noticed something…

His gun… It looked _so_ bad-ass. It had a laser pointer and a flashlight on it and _everything_! I took the strap off the guy and picked up the gun. It was lighter than I figured it would have been. I could handle it… I looked at the unconscious guy.

"You don't mind if I borrow this for… I dunno, _ever_; do you?" No response. I grinned and resisted the urge to giggle like a school girl when she sees Taylor Lautner. "Yeah, I'll take good care of it… Thanks bro!"

…I'm talking to an unconscious guy… I wonder about the state of my sanity sometimes…

But who cares? I don't! I have a brand-new fucking gun!

I was about to leave then I noticed some other things on his belt. I grinned to myself. I could definitely use some of _those_. I put the items in my pocket before walking over and opening the door.

Whoa… I _told_ them they had it. There were a bunch of knocked out scientists and papers lying on the floor. I walked through a dramatically lit tunnel. I walked in the room to see Sara and Seth sitting up, alive and well. I looked at Jack.

"Jack!" I called. He looked at me questioningly, and a bit worriedly. I held up the gun in one hand and grinned, "Can I keep this?" He gave a small smile and shrugged. I pulled it over my shoulder held the strap on one hand before walking closer. I looked at the two siblings.

"Welcome to land of living." I said, "Are you guys good?" Sara smiled at me gratefully and nodded. I turned to Seth, who was staring at me like I was a ghost or something, and I stepped closer, raising an eyebrow.

"What about you Sunshine?" I asked, "You okay?" As soon as I asked that, I was being hugged, and I froze.

"Thank you…" Seth murmured. I felt my cheeks heat up and I awkwardly patted his back. What can I say? I was surprised. _I'm_ usually the one who hugs people, not the other way around!

"It was, uh... "I stuttered, "N-no problem." Seriously, since when is Seth so… affectionate? It's freaking me out, bro… I coughed awkwardly and lightly pushed him away. I turned and looked at Sara questioningly. _Is he still loopy from the knock-out gas or something?_ She smiled knowingly, but didn't give me an answer. She didn't even shrug or anything. Diss…

I looked around the room and noticed that some of the glass walls had broken. They really used regular glass? As walls? Dude… that's stupid. They could have at least reinforced it or _something_. Fuck's sake…

Alright, focus. We need to find the ship, and then haul ass out of here… but how?

I heard groaning and looked out one of the broken glass walls to see one of the scientists coming to. _Bingo_. I hopped down and dragged the guy up.

"Hey, asshat," I said, "Where's the alien's shit?" The guy looked at me groggily.

"W-why should I… tell _you_?" He muttered. I narrowed my eyes and slung the gun's strap over my other shoulder before grabbing it and pointing it in his face.

"This is why." I retorted, "Now start spilling, or I will." His eyes widened, and he looked like he just pissed himself. I wouldn't _really_ go and kill him if he didn't tell me anything, don't worry… I would have just shot his foot. But luckily, I didn't need to. He sang like a canary.

"Alright-alright!" He spluttered, "I'll tell you everything I know!" I nodded and poked him in the shoulder with the barrel of the gun.

"Well then, what are you waiting for?" I asked, "And if you lie, I _promise_ I will hunt you down, and _personally_ shove my foot so far up your ass that you'll be spitting out shoelaces."

-Five minutes later-

We ran through the hallways until we came to a door that matched the scientist guy's description. Jack looked at me.

"This it?" He asked. I nodded. Jack looked through the small window before pulling the door open. We all went through, and Seth looked at his blue phone-thingy. I _seriously _want one of those.

"It is over there." Seth told us, pointing to the direction some guys were headed to. Jack nodded and motioned for us to stay quiet before leading us up some stairs to a control panel that was on a huge-ass pipe, or something.

I froze as I saw the ship. I swallowed and looked at Sara.

"Is… is that it?" I asked weakly. She nodded and I made a face. It was literally a flying saucer… It would have almost been comical if I hadn't been stressing out. How are we supposed to sneak out in that? It's gi-fucking-normous. I heard Alex come up the stairs and gasp.

"Oh my…" She said breathlessly. I nodded in agreement. There were scientists _all _around the place. How are we even going to get to it without sounding the alarm?

"We have to hurry." Sara told us. Jack snorted.

"Yeah, well," Jack replied, motioning to all the scientists, "tell them that." Alex perked up.

"Good idea." She said before turning and picking up a stray scientist's lab coat. Me and Jack looked at her like she was crazy. Did she lose her mind somewhere?

"What, what?" I yelped, "Jack was just kidding!" She ignored me and hurried down towards them. I slapped my palm to my face as Jack called for her to come back. Alex threw her black coat at Jack. Goddamn it all…

Alex walked down and walked towards the scientists. Oh my god… we're all going to die because Alex went insane… fuck.

"Hey!" Alex said, "Do you not hear the alarms? Work in this sector is to cease immediately. We have off-the-chart readings of sodium hypochlorite, xenon, hydrazine, and you don't even want to _know_ just how bad the gamma radiation is." All the scientists walked closer to listen.

"But you're gonna have to do some serious, and I mean _serious_, scrubbing down." She told them. One of the guys stepped forward.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"Who am I?" She asked in disbelief, "_Who am I?_ I'll tell you who I am! I am your worst nightmare at a court-martial, soldier. Now you can either do as you're told, or I can go tell Henry Burke you disobeyed his direct orders. Your call. Choose wisely… " He stared at her for a minute before all but sprinting out of the area, followed by all the other scientists.

I blinked. Oh my god… that worked? That _worked_? Aren't these guys supposed to be smart? What the fucking hell… Whatever bro… I turned to Jack.

"By the way, who's Henry Burke?" I asked curiously. He raised an eyebrow.

"The guy who was talking to us on the mountain earlier… the one you threatened to… you know… _that_."

Oh… _oh!_ Wow, I feel slow… but whatever man, I'll address that later. Right now, we have to haul ass out of here. I turned to Seth and Sara.

"Alright guys, go do your alien thing." I said. They nodded and climbed one of the platforms that were set up besides the ship. I stayed up and made sure that the government guys wouldn't come and sneak up on us. I held kept my finger on the trigger, ready to squeeze, while Sara and Seth did their thing.

I heard some beeping, and then a bunch of lights turned on from behind me. I turned around and saw the ship open… Holy shit, it was _so_ awesome, but also... a little dramatic. You could practically hear dramatic music going on in the background. Despite that, I felt myself grin as a door opened on the ship and showered the room with light. I could hear the ship hum as it warmed up.

"Cool… "I breathed as a ray of light came out the bottom and made what looked like a ramp into the ship. Everyone walked forwards to the opening in the ship on the beam of light. It _was_ a ramp! Holy shitfuck, that is _awesome_! They paused before they got in and turned to me.

"Are you coming?" Seth asked. My grin grew wider and I nodded, letting the gun fall and moving so it hung off my back.

"_Hell_ to the yes!" I exclaimed, jumping off the pipe and landing on my feet. I jogged up the ramp to them. As I reached them, a voice called out.

"Thank you," It said as lights came on through the room, "We were having a hard time figuring that part out." Henry-fucking-Burke. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I noticed that we were surrounded by guys with guns. Pointed at us. Shit. I pulled my gun into my hands and stepped forwards, aiming through the room, and Jack stepped forwards empty-handed. We were out-numbered. By like a hundred to four. So, basically, we were fucked. I heard Alex call Jack's name and I felt someone grab my shoulder.

"A brave but empty gesture, you two." Burke told us smugly. I scowled.

"They're just kids!" Jack protested. Burke smirked down at us. He didn't even care... That pissed me off… and when I'm pissed off, I tend to do stupid, brash shit.

You think you're so _bad_, don't you, you asshat?" I challenged, "If you're so tough, shoot me." I let the gun fall, shook whoever's hand was on my shoulder off, and patted my chest. "Right here! Go on, do it! I mother-fucking _dare_ you!" He raised an eyebrow before nodding to the guy next to him.

"If that is what you wish." He said. The guy he told to shoot me paused. I heard him protest against it, and Burke glared at him. He did as he was told and fired a round into my chest. I staggered and gasped as it hit, knocking the breath out of my lungs. I heard Sara call my name, and I straightened myself. I smirked up at him.

"Is that all you got?" I asked. He scowled and I glanced at Jack.

"You should take Alex, Sara, and Seth and go. I'll stay behind." I said to him. He looked at me like I was crazy, and in all honesty, I probably am.

"What? No!" Jack hissed, and I heard Alex and Sara agree with him from behind me.

"I'm _probably_ going to end up dead anyways, no matter what I do," I reasoned, "I might as well stay behind and hold them back for as long as I can while you guys go and save the worlds. I'm not scared. I deserve death. Even if I were scared, I wouldn't care, because I'm taking these ass clowns with me when I go down." Seth stepped forwards and took my hand, then grabbed Jack's. Sara took Jack's hand, and then grabbed Alex's.

"What are you doing?" I asked Seth as Burke told the goons to take aim. I _deserve_ to die! Why are they doing this? Burke smirked and time seemed to slow down. The first gun was fired, but it bounced off of me harmlessly. What the fuck…

Hundreds of more bullets were fired at us, but they didn't harm us and just fell to the floor. When Burke saw they weren't hurting us, he yelled at everyone to hold their fire. The bullets stopped and I looked at everyone else. Jack and Alex were panting, but unharmed. No one was hurt… I looked at Seth with raised eyebrows.

"You never said you could do that," I accused quietly, "Why didn't you think to tell us about that?" Seth narrowed his eyes.

"Why do you think you deserve to die?" He retorted. I paused and furrowed my eyebrows, but as I opened my mouth to reply, there was an explosion with… blue fire. What the fuck?

Jack screamed at us to go and run inside. What else did he think we would have done? There was an explosion, and people went flying. The doors shut behind us and Sara and Seth jumped into chairs as Alex and I looked around in awe.

"Cool…" Alex breathed. I nodded.

"No shit." I agreed. Jack urged them to hurry and I was snapped out of my awe. Things started glowing, and then there were blue things floating in the air. Like the controls for the Pillar of Autumn, in Halo. Yeah, I know I'm a nerd. You don't need to tell me. I heard it enough in the Silver Guns…

The ship slowly started rising. Jack told Seth to hurry up.

"The power is at twenty-five percent and increasing." Seth told him. We ran into a bunch of things, and I suddenly found myself questioning Sara and Seth's ability to drive. Steer. Float. Propel… Whatever the hell we were doing. Jack shared my concern.

"You _do_ know how to fly this thing, right?" Jack asked slowly.

"How do you think we got here?" Seth asked as he looked at the glowy-things. I don't really know what to call them. But when he said that, I stared at Seth.

"You crashed," I said, "remember?" Seth ignored me and continued to focus on driving. All of the sudden I felt weak in the knees… I have a feeling this is ride is going to _suck_. The smoke cleared and we saw a _very_ familiar person standing in front of us.

"Siphon… " Sara said. That was _not_ what I had in mind when I thought that this ride was going to suck! Shit! Seth told us to hold on, then rammed into the Siphon with the ship.

"Got him." Seth said in victory. Sara gave a relieved smile. I stared at them dubiously. A freaking _train_ didn't kill the thing! Why do they think this will? I backed up a few steps and readied my gun, ready to pull the trigger, looking around like a paranoid bitch. Luckily, no one noticed. They went through a tunnel, hitting a lot of walls as they drove. We dodged a bunch of cars, and saw the gate to get out of the mountain begin to close. I stopped worrying about the Siphon, and got more concerned about the gate. I tightened my grip on the gun and screamed at them to go faster.

"Go bitch, go!" I yelled.

The ship turned to the side to get through and Me, Jack and Alex were thrown to the wall. We staggered up and I shook my head to clear the stars in my vision.

"Shit." I gasped as the others cheered in relief. Maybe I was wrong about the Siphon…

The ship started shaking and it took all my patience not to scream in frustration. I was right, wasn't I? I was! Fuck's sake. I lifted my gun and looked around in alarm, finger ready to squeeze the trigger.

"The Siphon," I yelled at them as I looked around, "It's the goddamn Siphon!" Jack rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, kid. You're being paranoid. The thing is long-gone. We got him. Relax." He tried to tell me. I shook my head furiously.

"No," I protested, "You have to listen to me! All those other times I stayed quiet, because I thought I was just being paranoid, but I was right! Every. God. Damn. Time. We could have been ready if I had spoken up, but I hadn't. _Not this time_!"

"The Siphon is gone," Sara told me, "I can understand why you are worried, but it is unnecessary."

"The airlock is just jammed," Seth assured me, "I need to manually override the system."

"You two drive," Jack told them, "Just tell me what to do." I slapped my palm to my forehead. Sara told me to tell her when I had a feeling something bad was going to happen, and now that I am, no one believes me. This is some messed up shit…

A door opened from behind me and I must have jumped six feet into the air. Jack rolled his eyes and walked towards me and through the door. I bit my lip in uncertainty before following him.

I stood a few meters away from Jack and looked around as he did his thing. Jack gave a noise of alarm and I turned to see Jack flying towards my face. I ducked and looked up to see the Siphon. I aimed at him/it let the bullets fly. It did abso-fucking-lutely nothing. The Siphon stepped forwards and ripped the gun from my grasp and off the strap. It bent my gun in a ninety degree angle and I froze. I stared at it, and it stared back at me, dropping my gun to the floor.

"That… was my gun…" I said slowly as we stared at each other, "That was my brand new fucking gun!" I felt anger boil into my stomach and I roared a war cry.

"I don't care if I die in the process-YOU ARE GOING DOWN, BITCH!" I yelled before tackling it. It staggered, but that's about it. It picked me up and threw me at the wall, before going to Jack. I fell to the ground with a thump. I got up with a groan, to see Jack getting slammed into the ceiling and floor, repeatedly before bringing Jack into a chokehold. I jumped onto the Siphon's back and punched its head repeatedly as Jack grabbed a hold of its head in a desperate attempt to get it off of him. I think it did more damage to my bruising knuckles than I did to it, but whatever. It kicked Jack away before throwing me off of its back. I landed with a groan next to Jack. I screamed at Jack to cover his eyes before reaching into my pocket and pulling out a flash grenade. I pulled out the pin with my teeth and threw it at the Siphon.

"Merry fuckin' Christmas!" I yelled as I covered my eyes. There was a loud bang and my ears rang, but as I looked up and saw the Siphon stumbling and looking around like a hallucinating drunk, I didn't regret it, at all. Not only that, but I also got a good look at its face, and well… He wasn't pretty. His skin was light pink and devoid of any hair. Not to mention, he didn't have a mouth, with two slits where a nose should be, and white eyes. Then Seth came through the wall like a BAMF. The Siphon turned and tried to punch Seth, but his hand went right through. Seth looked at the Siphon defiantly, and the Siphon glared. Jack had stood up and stood behind the Siphon, tapping his shoulder. He turned to Jack.

"You looked better with the mask on." Jack told it before punching it in the face. Jack only got four punches in before he got punched, and thrown back, hitting something that made a door open and revealed a big blue ball of light before collapsing to the ground. A man can only take so much…

The Siphon walked towards Jack, but I tackled him back. Then, of course, the ship veered to the side and I flew into the open door. I landed on some small ledges and the Siphon jumped onto them as well. He picked me up by the neck and I clutched his hands as I gasped for breath.

"Fancy seeing you here." I wheezed. His grip on my neck tightened and I wheezed.

To be honest, I thought it was the end, but then Seth came out of nowhere and hit the bastard upside the head with something big, heavy, and I'm pretty sure it was metal. I'm not sure what it was, but I didn't really care either. All I cared about was that it let me go. I landed on the ledge and staggered as the Siphon turned and tried to punch Seth. His hand went right through, again. I kicked his foot from underneath him, and he fell.

Or, rather, he _almost_ fell. He grabbed my left arm before he fell. My breath whooshed out of my lungs as I struggled to keep from falling down. He was one _heavy_ son of a bitch. As I looked down at the Siphon, something caught my eye. I grinned as sweat ran down my forehead.

"You know," I choked out, "You have a face only a mother could love…" I reached for Achilles and pulled him out.

"You know what can fix that?" I asked as the Siphon's eyes widened in realization. I nodded in confirmation.

"A knife to the _face_!" I yelled as I dug Achilles into the Siphon's face. He let go of my leg and reached for his face as he fell, before hitting the blue ball and disintegrating. I leaned against the wall, watching, as my legs and arms shook and trembled.

"Wire!" A voice called. I looked up at the still-open door and saw Seth. Oh yeah… He put his hand down for me to grab. I did and he pulled me up and out before closing the door that led to the fiery, blue ball of disintegration that nearly killed me.

I had managed to stand on my own just fine… for a few seconds. As soon as the door closed I collapsed against Seth, who, though surprised, wrapped his arms around me as I rested against him, panting.

"I… need to … work out… a lot… _more_." I said between shaky breaths. Seth shushed me and I nodded before burying my head into the crook of his neck. I felt him stiffen a bit before relaxing. Once again, I smelled pumpkin spice lattes, and I let myself relax for a minute or two before moving away and trying to stand without Seth's help. It took a lot of effort, and my legs were shaking really badly, but I managed. I looked at Seth and gave a weak smile.

"Thank you…" I said weakly, "You saved my life." Seth smiled.

"You're welcome," He said, "but will you try to do something for me?" I nodded.

"Anything you want Sunshine," I told him. He stepped forwards and hugged me. I blinked in confusion, but hugged him back. He pulled away a bit and rested his forehead against mine. If I hadn't been so damn tired, I probably would have blushed or something.

"Don't frighten me like that again," Seth murmured, "I thought you were going to die… "Then I went and did something _really _cliché. I kissed him. It wasn't like, a tongue-on-tongue kiss… it barely even lasted a few seconds, but it sent this _weird_-ass tingle up my spine. It didn't hurt or anything, it actually almost felt... kinda nice. I leaned back and blinked. Seth's face was bright red as he looked at me with wide eyes. The first thought I had after the kiss?

_Whoops_…

I had only _wanted_ to do that… I didn't mean to _actually_ kiss him. Shit. I staggered back and limped to Jack, who had just started to regain consciousness.

"What was that?" Seth asked me slowly. I froze mid-step.

"That," I answered slowly, "Was me, being a delirious dumb-ass. Sorry about that… "I crouched down and patted Jack's cheeks. He groaned and looked up at me with his bruised-ass face. Poor guy… I helped him sit up with shaky arms before making him stand. The effort made my legs shake and black filter in my vision. Not now… As soon as this is over and done with, I can pass out as much as, and as long as I want. But not now...

As I pulled Jack's arm over my shoulder and helped him to the door, I turned to Seth, who was still standing in the same spot.

"I really am sorry about that…" I mumbled sheepishly and gave an apologetic grin, "I don't know what came over me."

As the door opened and I helped Jack walk, only one thought ran through my head.

_I am such a fucking dumb-ass..._


	10. Chapter 9

We all stood on top of the mountain and looked at each other as we prepared for goodbyes. I held the Siphon's helmet in my hands. When Jack asked me why I wanted it, I told him it was one of the spoils of war.

"You both must hurry," Sara warned us, "It is only a matter of time before they get here."

"Don't worry about us," Jack told her. I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah," I added, "We'll be fine." I reached for Achilles to get him out, but my hand met air. The helmet fell onto the ground as the realization hit me…

"Oh no… no, no, no…" My eyes widened in despair as I cried out, "_NO!_ _Achilles!" _I cursed and spat and groaned and made a lot of unintelligible noises as I mourned the loss of my beloved knife.

"My baby…" I whimpered as I took off the scabbard for Achilles to look at it before throwing it to the ground. My lip wobbled as I stared at the sheath sullenly, reminded of my customized kukri knife. I had scratched tribal-ish looking flames and the bottom and a wolf in the middle of it to match the markings that had been on Achilles' blade. I groaned once more before kicking it a few feet away. I didn't want to look at it… it reminded me of my loss. I looked up at everyone, who had been watching at me as I had mourned over my kukri knife.

"Okay," I sighed as I walked back, "I'm good. I'm done." Sara gave me a small smile, and Seth looked down at his hands, which held his blue phone-thing.

"Sara and I want you to have this," Seth told Jack, "As long as it is in your possession, we'll always be able to find you." Sara ran her hand over it, and it lit up and beeped a few times before going back to normal. Jack took it gingerly and looked at it. Jack looked between the phone-thing and the two aliens.

"Thanks." He mumbled before turning away to mess with it. Alex stepped forwards and smiled at them.

"Your parents will be very proud of what you've done here." She told them before pulling the two of them in for a hug. Sara thanked her and Seth walked past her to Jack as she said her goodbyes to Sara. I continued to stand around awkwardly, looking at the helmet I had yet to pick up. Yeah, I was still upset over the knife, so what? Jason helped me pick it out… and I had scratched his name into the bottom of the blade… he had been so ecstatic when he saw I had done that… I shook my head fiercely to shake the thoughts from my head.

Now's not the time… I'll finally stop and mourn when I'm off this mountain and safe.

"I once said that we could never count on humans to help us. Especially you," I heard Seth tell Jack. "I was wrong, and for that I am sorry."

"You take care of yourself." Jack told him, "And your sister too. You understand?" Seth said yes, and then Sara came over to me, taking my attention away from Seth and Jack.

Aw man… I fucking _hate _goodbyes…

Sara smiled at me with tear-filled eyes. I grimaced and held my arms open for a hug, which she was more than happy for. When she pulled away, she looked up at me, with tear-stained cheeks.

"Aw, come on…" I said, "I'm not worth crying over… "She smiled through her tears.

"You are worth so much more than you believe, Carrie Elyswyer." She told me. I didn't even care that she called me by real name… I was probably never going to see her again, so I figured I could let it slide.

"You have been plagued with so many nightmares, experienced so many horrors, at such a young age," Sara continued, "You believe that you are weak… but there are many great and powerful men who would have fallen long ago if they were to face the burdens you have… The fact that you have been able to continue, and still go on without letting your sorrows stop you or slow you down… that is the greatest strength of all." I bit my lip and swallowed the lump in my throat. I couldn't think of anything to say that would match that, so I just nodded gratefully.

"I'm gonna miss you." I sighed. She smiled and wiped away her tears.

"He has feelings for you." She told me. I blinked. Who the-what now? Who?

"Seth." She answered my thoughts. I froze a moment before snorting? Sunshine? Ha! As if he… oh Sara, making jokes before leaving forever… Whew… She almost got me for a minute there. If she heard my thoughts, she didn't show it. She smiled at me one more time before turning and taking a few steps towards Jack. She called his name before running into his arms, crying.

Seth walked over and stopped in front of me. He glanced over to the side and walked over, picking something up. He walked back in front of me and I saw what he picked up. My scabbard…

"Why?" I asked curiously. He smirked up at me.

"Spoils of war." He answered, quoting me. I smiled and shrugged. Whatever man, if he wants it, he can have it. I looked up at the sky, as if it would make saying goodbye easier. It didn't. I looked back at Seth and sighed.

I started to tell him how I would miss him, and to smile more and a bunch of other stuff, but I stopped when I was engulfed into a hug. I quickly relaxed and nuzzled the crook of his neck as I hugged him back.

We continued like that for a while, silent, just enjoying the other's warmth, but then Seth pulled back a bit. I looked up, expecting to hear him tell me goodbye or something. I got something entirely different than what I was expecting.

He brushed his lips against mine and that familiar tingle ran up and down my back before Seth took a small step back. I froze and stared at the spot where Seth used to be and blinked several times as I tried to wrap my mind around what just happened. Seth watched me nervously, blushing. I stayed quiet and Seth started stuttering an apology, but I cut him off and pulled him closer, kissing him again before resting my forehead against his. He smiled at me.

"Don't say sorry," I said with a grin, "Just tell me next time you're going to do that." He nodded and pulled me into another hug.

"I am going to miss you," Seth murmured into my neck, "You are unlike anyone I've ever met." I tightened the hug.

"Ditto," I replied, "Most people I meet aren't aliens who've come to save my, and their world." I felt water fall down my cheek and I lightly pushed Seth away.

"What the… Is it raining?" I asked as I looked up. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. Millions of stars shone in the sky, and I rubbed the water on my cheek. I looked at it curiously. I licked it; it tasted salty. Since when is rain salty? I froze…

Oh _hell _naw!

"What the hell Sunshine?" I choked out. He stepped closer.

"What is it?" He asked. I narrowed my eyes, partially playing, partially serious.

"Look what you made me do, you ass!" I said as I rubbed at my eyes in frustration, "You made me tear up and shit, and one fell!"

"You mean, you cried?" Seth asked curiously.

"Pre-fucking-cisely!" I grumbled, "I don't _do_ that! Never. Everrr. And you, and your sister, and this-fuck! Can you seriously like, go? Before I start bawling or something? Geeze…" Seth smiled and nodded. He kissed me one last time and hugged me. When he pulled away I heard barking. I looked over and saw Junkyard, wagging his tail. I smiled. Where has he been?

"It's time." Seth told Sara. She nodded and walked up the light-ramp-thing with him, and they looked back at us. Heh, Seth still has the scabbard…

They waved goodbye, and while Alex and Jack waved back, I saluted with a weak grin. Sara and Seth smiled and the doors shut. I let my hand fall and I picked up the Siphon's helmet.

The ship slowly lifted from the ground and began spinning. As it spun faster, I smiled. It stayed in the air a few more seconds before zipping off into the sky. When they were out of sight, I sighed.

"E.T. went home…" I said quietly. Jack put his hand on my shoulder and smiled down at me.

"So…" Jack started slowly, "I saw you over there, smooching Seth…" My face warmed up a bit, and I playfully pushed him.

"Dude, shut up!" I chuckled, "We all know you want to 'smooch' Alex, you bloody hypocrite!" Jack blushed, and I laughed.

**Author's note-**

**Yup. I wrote this and chapter 8 all in one day. So if it seemed a little rushed, that's why.**

**It got a little fluffy around the end, I know :/ It started out as just a small little thing to see if it's any fun to write. It was surprisingly fun, and I got a bit out of hand near the end****. I'm sorry D:  
**

**So... guess what? I finished this before Christmas! Which means I _should_ be able to finish the holiday one-shot on time and not late! Woo!**

**This was my first story, and it was really fun. I learned some stuff, including learning about just how bloody _hard_ it can be to write these sometimes. I have a new-found respect for all the other fan fiction writers out there. All you guys rock. Fo' shizzle. Internet cookies to all of you writers out there!**

**Actually, fuck that, you can all have internet cookies. Readers, reviewers, writers, and other. You all rock.  
**

**So uh, you know, tell me if I made any mistakes. Thanks to the reviewers, you awesome people know who you are.**

**Peace off and bless your face. If you sneezed while reading this, bless _you_.**

**I'm out.**

**, BlueAsh666  
**


	11. The NotSoHoliday Spectacular! Part 1

I heard whimpering and fur tickling my cheek. I groaned and lightly pushed the furry snout away from my face.

"Vigil, shush," I mumbled, "I'm tired… Lemme sleep… "I heard a yip in response, and my face got licked. I gave up on trying to push him away and started to turn over. Then I remembered, too late, that I fell asleep on the edge of the bed.

I landed on my face with a loud _thump_ and groaned into the floor. Holy shit I'm tired… I rolled onto my back and looked up at the puppy Jack had gotten me, to keep me company when he, Alex, and Junkyard were away doing interviews and signings for the book we wrote. The Irish Wolfhound mix stared back at me from the bed, with his pink tongue hanging out and his head cocked to the side. His dark, cocoa brown fur contrasted the white 'star' on his throat. I knew I should be mad at him, but… _He was too fucking adorable_. I smiled tiredly at the puppy.

"Good morning." I mumbled. Vigil yipped and jumped down on my stomach. Air whooshed out of my lungs, and I pushed him off of me, laughing as he jumped over my legs and got down on his forepaws, with his tail waving back and forth lazily. I sat up and rubbed the back of my head as I yawned. I grabbed the small rope toy that was under the bed and tossed it a few meters away. Vigil gave an excited yip and stumbled after it. I smiled and grabbed my glasses out from under my pillow and put them on.

Vigil came back with the rope and dropped it at my foot before looking back up at me expectantly, his tail whipping back and forth. I rubbed the top of his small head and shook my head.

"Not now, buddy," I told him apologetically, "Let me get some tea, then we can play; okay?" He gave a low whine, but sat down, looking at me with big, honey-colored eyes. I stood up and opened the door and walked out, down the stairs and into the kitchen. I turned on the water-heater and sat on the counter. Vigil came loping into the kitchen and skidded to a stop near my feet and looked up at me happily. I rubbed his back with my foot and looked at the calendar that was on the fridge. I glanced back at Vigil before turning and grabbing a meaty treat and breaking off a small piece. Vigil looked up at me with great interest as his tail swished from side to side.

"Happy Christmas Eve." I said before reaching down and holding it out for him to take. He carefully took it out of my fingers and ate it happily. I got off the counter and sat on the floor. Vigil bounded into my lap and nuzzled my stomach. I glanced at the clock on the microwave. It was six in the morning. I made a face. No wonder I was so damn tired. I rubbed Vigil's side as I glared at him playfully.

"You better love me, you cruel, _evil_ little puppy," I told him, "You see what I do for you? I get up at six in the goddamn AM." He squirmed a bit and licked my _Assassin's Creed_ T-shirt. I rolled my eyes. Curse him and his cuteness… I rubbed his soft, velvety ear and sighed.

"Jack and Alex _said_ they would be back home for Christmas," I said slowly, "But how much do you wanna bet that they're not gonna be able to make it?" Vigil cocked his head to the side and I chuckled.

"Yeah, I wouldn't waste my money, either." I muttered. Sometimes I wish that Andy hadn't made me live with Alex and Jack… Their awesome, don't get me wrong, but… _I'm to talking to a dog_ that's been my only company for the past five days. They're never here. I mean, yeah, I _could_ be out there with them, at the interviews and signings for the book we all wrote, but I don't really want to do all that; I tried it once, and I never wanted to do it again. The book we wrote turned out being a _lot_ more popular than any of us expected. There were too many flashing cameras, and too many rude-ass people asking me _really_ personal, and sometimes _perverted_ questions.

Normally, I don't have to sit in the house, _alone_. I've been working at Andy's store, but it's been closed for the last week for the holidays. Vigil is still too young to go outside for too long because it's too cold, so we can't go running around and doingwhatever the hell we feel like doing. So I've been hanging around the house, practicing the guitar, playing with Vigil, or sleeping on the couch with him.

Don't think I'm ungrateful for all this, because I am. I mean, I'm still alive; I'm living in a nice house, fully stocked with food and any other necessities; _and_ I've got Vigil. I love the little guy. I've just been really restless lately. I went from constantly being on the run, to sitting around, reading fan letters, looking at the occasional fan art, messing around on the piano, and reading the large collection of books around the house.

The point is; _nothing is happening_. I want some _adventure_. I want to stop sitting around doing _not a damn thing_. I've never been one for the 'watch-the-grass-grow' type of life…

The water-heater clicked, and I gently pushed Vigil out of my lap so I could get up and make the tea. He whimpered as I got up.

"You _knew_ I was making tea," I reminded him, "You didn't _have_ to go into my lap." Vigil gave a growl that ended with a whine. I rolled my eyes and turned to make the tea. I had just put the tea bags in, and moved to get out a cup and a bowl (for Vigil) but stopped when he started growling.

I looked down at the growling puppy. He was glaring in the direction of the front door, with his ears erect and his hackles raised.

Uh oh…

_That's_ never a good sign…

I kneeled down and put a hand on his back, silencing him. He looked up at me for a moment before backing up closer to me. I listened closely, and could just _barely_ make out voices. I heard the door open and I stood up quietly. I motioned for Vigil to _stay_ and crept towards the doorway.

I waited until the footsteps of whoever it was were close, then jumped out and tackled said asshat. As I moved my arm to punch him, I realized (a little late) that he looked familiar. My fist went right through his face and this weird-ass, uncomfortable feeling went up my arm, and I quickly cradled my hand to my chest as I stared down confusedly at the familiar face.

"What the _fuck_…" I said slowly, "_Seth?_" I looked up and saw four _more_ familiar faces a few feet away. Jack, Alex, Junkyard, and… Sara? What the fuck-_how_ the fuck-why didn't they say anything when they first came in?

"Jack had assumed you were sleeping and told us to be quiet when entering." Sara said, answering my thoughts. _Oh yeah_, it is definitely them. I looked between Sara and Seth, before staring at Jack and Alex.

"The world isn't about to end again, is it?" I asked. Jack snorted and smiled.

"I don't know," He told me, "They don't seem to be in too much of a hurry; so whatever they're here for, it can't be _too_ important." I nodded and got off of Seth, offering my hand to help him up.

I pulled him up before glancing back at the doorway to the kitchen and whistling for Vigil.

"Vigil, c'mon," I called, "It's all good." Vigil peeked out from the doorway and looked at me, then everyone else before growling at Seth, who was the closest to me. I rolled my eyes and kneeled down.

"Chill," I assured him, "He's safe. Get over here-we lost our bet." Vigil shivered, but stood where he was and continued to glare at Seth. I held my arms out for him to jump into and Vigil gave a low whine.

"Come on, don't you trust me?" I asked. Vigil whimpered before running over and jumping into my arms. When I had a good grip, I stood up and turned to everyone else as Vigil nuzzled and licked my neck chin.

So… Sara and Seth are here. On Earth. Is some catastrophe-

"-No, nothing of _too_ much concern is, or is going to happen, not that I know of." Sara answered for me. I furrowed my eyebrows. Oh. So… not that I'm not happy to see them or anything, but what are they here f-

"-I am here on Seth's account," She explained, "Seth deemed it necessary to come back, and I went with him." Okay… So no worlds that need saving? Cool, I guess. I set Vigil on the ground, and he sat by my feet, faithfully. _God_, I love that dog.

"So… "I said, "Can I get a hug or something? Jesus, I haven't seen _any _of you guys in a while!" Jack smiled and stepped forwards, engulfing me in his massive frame.

"I missed you too, kiddo." Jack chuckled before letting me go. Alex hugged me next.

"Merry Christmas Eve." Alex told me, before stepping back. I looked at Sara next. She smiled as I stepped closer and wrapped my arms around her, lifting her up. I had missed the little mind-reader!

"I missed you too." Sara said into my shoulder before I set her down. I turned to Seth and grinned, holding my arms out.

"Come on, Sunshine," I said, "Share the love!" He rolled his eyes, but smiled and wrapped me in his arms. I breathed in and smiled. Yup, he still smells like pumpkin spice lattes. And I still enjoy it, a lot. As I moved away, a bark, much deeper than Vigil's took my attention. I smiled and patted Junkyard's head.

"Hey there," I cooed to the large dog as his tail thumped almost painfully against my leg, "I haven't forgotten about you, don't worry. How the fuck are ya?" Junkyard barked happily and I chuckled. I looked back at Alex and gestured to Sara and Alex.

"So, they're why you and Jack are home, right?" I asked, "Because I thought you guys weren't supposed to be home until sometime tomorrow." Alex nodded. That's what I had thought. Jack looked at apologetically.

"I'm sorry kiddo," He said, "But can you go and show to the guest rooms, and maybe show them around the house a little bit? I was gonna go take a quick shower, and Alex said she's gonna cook…" I shrugged.

"Yeah, sure," I replied, "No biggie." Jack smiled at me gratefully then turned and ran upstairs while Alex went into the kitchen. Junkyard went to his bed that was by the couch, and Sara and Seth stared at me.

"So, uh… I'm your tour guide... This room we're standing in is the living room," I said, a bit awkwardly, then pointed to where Alex just went, "That's the kitchen, and… now we go upstairs, I guess." I picked up Vigil before running up the stairs so I wouldn't have to wait as he scrambled up the stairs. I pointed out my room, Jack and Alex's room, the bathrooms, and then the rooms they would be staying in. When I was done, I decided to ask why they were back.

"So uh… Not that I'm not glad to see you guys," I said, "But really, why _are_ you here?" Sara looked at Seth pointedly, and he averted his eyes, almost guiltily.

Something's up, isn't it? Actually no, don't answer that, I _know_ something's up; but what? Seth looked at me and shuffled uncomfortably.

"Do you… know of a place where we could talk? Alone?" Seth asked quietly. Wow… _that's_ suspicious. Is he going to try to murder me or something…?

"Yeah, my room, I guess," I answered slowly, "Should I be worried? The way you're lookin' is making me feel like I should be worried…" Seth didn't answer me. I looked at Sara questioningly, and she gave me an encouraging smile and a nod. I sighed and gestured for Seth to follow me and walked into my room. As soon as Seth and Vigil were in I shut the door and sat in my wheelie chair. Seth sat on my bed and stared at the floor. He looked kind of conflicted, so I figured I'd let him collect his thoughts and looked around my room.

It's a bit on the small side; but that's fine, because I like it that way. I had glow-in-the-dark stars on my ceiling, and a small statue of a dragon holding a sword hanging on the wall. The desk I was sitting at had pictures; some old, some new; ranging from pictures of dad and Bear, to Jason and me, then to me, Jack, and Alex, Vigil, and then the drawing I had made of Sara, Junkyard, and Seth. There were a few empty Starbucks cups on the side of the desk, and the Siphon's helmet and a few grenades (my spoils of war) were on the other side, but other than that, it was relatively tidy.

When I looked back at Seth, he looked like he was still trying to figure out what to say, and since I'm not exactly the most _patient_ person in the world, I decided to screw letting him decide what to say, and just make him spit it out.

"Look Seth, just tell me what's going on," I told him, "I promise I won't get mad or anything… _well_… I _might_, but I'm not gonna curse you out and try to kill you or anything." He glanced up at me nervously.

"I am… not sure where to begin." He mumbled. I rolled my eyes and picked up Vigil and set him on my lap.

"Why not start with why you're here?" I suggested. He nodded.

"Right, well… you are aware of how people on our planet feel about humans, correct?" He asked. I nodded.

"They pretty much think that humans are selfish, lying little buggers that only care about themselves." I answered. Seth nodded in affirmation.

"I have been… trying to change my parents' opinion about your kind." He mumbled, "And-"

"Hold it right there for a minute," I cut him off, "Seth, you didn't _need_ to do that. I don't care what they think about humans, and I'm pretty sure Jack doesn't either. _I_ for one only care about you and Sara's think. The rest of your planet could think of all of us as mindless beasts for all I care. You should _know_ that; why did you care what your parents think?" Seth rubbed his neck.

"It's hard to explain…" He said slowly. I rolled my eyes.

"Just do it the best you can." I told him, "I'm sure I'll be able to figure it out, at least somewhat. Sorry for interrupting." Seth licked his lips and took a deep breath.

"Our minds are much more… developed," He explained, and I nodded. Yeah, I already knew that, but whatever, "so we _know_ when we find a significant other. And since our elders; parents, are highly respected by their children, when we find our… significant other, it is very rare that we do _not_ tell them of it. If we are aware of the likelihood of our parent's disapproval, most try to change their opinion before telling them that said person is to them."

"Oh… I think I get it now." I said slowly with realization. Seth blushed and looked down at the floor, nodding. I leaned back into my chair and rubbed Vigil's ear.

"So… who's the lucky girl?" I asked. Seth jerked up in surprise and stared at me. What is this guy's problem? Geeze…

"You… you have not come to the conclusion?" Seth asked slowly.

"Of course I haven't," I snorted, "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm a little slow. You need to be straight out with me; I don't read minds like Sara. All I've figured out is that you've found some girl on your planet, your soul mate or whatever, and you don't think your parents will approve. And what does this have to do with you trying to change your parents' opinion of humans, and why you're _here_?"

Seth stared at me. What is this guy's deal? Did he come to Earth to rub it in all our faces or what? I leaned back in my chair as Seth stared at me.

"It's you."

… What?

"I'm sorry; but come again?" I asked. Seth blushed and wrung his hands together as he looked at the floor.

"When I first met you, I felt a pull towards you," He mumbled, "And I found myself growing more and more fond of you throughout our mission, and the pull became ever stronger. At first, I tried to come up with excuses for why I felt that way and tried to ignore it, but it was soon very clear; _you_ are my significant other."

I blinked several times as I processed the bullshit that just came out of his mouth. And when I did, you know what I did? I didn't rush over and kiss him, or blush, or anything similarly romantic. What I did?

I laughed. I laughed right in his face, and I laughed hard. I _fell out of my chair_, I was laughing so hard.

"_Oh my god_," I gasped between laughter, "And here, I thought, you didn't have a sense of humor! I can't believe I actually almost believed you for a second there!" I struggled to regain my breath as Seth watched me.

"It is the truth." Seth protested. I fought off a new wave of laughter as I struggled to get oxygen into my lungs.

"As if-as if someone like _you_ would end up with-with someone like _me_," I laughed, "Dude, I'm dumb, but I'm not _that_ dumb-I know better. _That's_ not happening. Thanks for the laugh, though. _Whew_. Aw man, that was a good one. That was like-"

"-Why wouldn't I?" Seth asked. I snorted and grinned to myself as I shook my head to myself.

"Dude, seriously…?" I asked, "What-are you blind and deaf?" When I looked at him, he wasn't laughing. He was actually _glaring_. I bit my lip to try to keep from smiling. Okay, okay… if he _really_ wants to drag this out, who am I to stop his fun? I stood up and stretched.

"Okay, fine, _fine_," I said submissively, "So I'm your thingy; what does this have to do with you and Sara being here?"

"You do not believe me."

"And you _still_ didn't answer my question," I said with a shrug, "But yeah, I don't, sorry. Do you really expect me to believe this? That my fucking, what was it, _significant other_, is an alien?" Seth stared at me, and I couldn't help but shuffle nervously under his piercing eyes.

"Did you not feel it?" Seth asked slowly. I raised an eyebrow.

"Feel what?" I asked, "I feel a _lot_ of things when I'm around you. Usually confusion or exasperation."

"When we kissed…" Oh… is he talking about the tingly feeling? I sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

"That was just a chill or something, I don't know," I said, "Look, did you ever stop to think that you're overreacting? We were in the process of saving the world; emotions were just _all over_ the fucking place, and-"

I was cut off by Seth pressing his lips to mine. I felt that _damned_ tingle run up and down my back. For a moment, I was so damn surprised that I just stood there. Then, when I got over it, I pushed Seth off. Vigil growled at him.

"What the hell, Sunshine?" I asked, "I thought we agreed to give a little fucking warning before-"

"Did you feel it?" Seth cut in. Can't I at least finish my sentence? Fuck's sake…

I was _about_ to say something sarcastic and a bit on the smart-ass side, but then I looked at his face… He had the _goddamn_ sad-puppy face. _Shit_. I cannot _stand_ the puppy-dog face… I tapped Vigil's side with my foot to get him to stop growling.

Sometimes I wish I were more of a bitch…

"The little tingly feeling?" I asked with a sigh. When I asked that, this happy, relieved look came over his face, and it was… friggin' cute. I am so glad Seth isn't a _total_ ass, because if he wanted to, he could make do pretty much whatever the hell he wanted me to, with a fucking _look_. Ugh…

Then, next thing I know, Seth is hugging me. I rolled my eyes. _God this is cheesy_, and I damn well knew it_._ But I hugged him back and nuzzled the crook of his neck anyways. But I still need him to know that I still think that he's just overreacting.

"You know, I still _kinda_ doubt this whole thing," I mumbled into his shoulder, "But I'm gonna _try_ to trust that you know what best, since you're the advanced alien and what not."

"That's all I can ask for." Seth said softly.

Okay… so I didn't tell the entire truth. I don't _kinda_ doubt it; I doubt it with all I got. But he doesn't need to know that. And make the puppy face. That would suck...

… And _besides_, Seth is cute. And he's kinda sweet, I guess. So even when this turns out to be him just overreacting; it should be fun while it lasts, right? Right.

"Alright, alright, enough sap," I said as I lightly pushed him away, "Seriously now, why are you back on Earth? I got that I'm your thingy-thing, and that you wanted to get your parents to approve, and that's about it…" Seth nodded and sat back on my bed. I sat on the floor and Vigil scrambled into my lap, throwing Seth the occasional glare.

"Well… My parents soon got suspicious of my trying to change their opinion on humans, and I could not lie to them…" Seth mumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck, "My parents are much more tolerant to humans than some, but despite that… When they discovered that you were my significant other…" He trailed off, and I nodded in understanding.

"They weren't happy." I filled in. Seth nodded.

"They refused to believe it, and forbade me from seeing you again." He sighed. I raised an eyebrow.

"So why are you here, then?" I asked, "No offense, but you don't really strike me as the rebellious type, so I'm gonna take a shot in the dark here and say that you probably don't go against what your parents tell you very often... so uh… what's the deal, Sunshine?"

"It… _hurts_, to be away," he mumbled, "It would not have killed me, but the pull in my chest…" He made a face. What now? It _hurts_?

"Wait, wait, wait… forgive me for being the ignorant and uninformed human, here, _and _interrupting _again_," I said, "But it _hurts_ you? And if it hurts _you_, then why didn't I feel anything? I mean, I missed you guys, sure, but I never _hurt_."

"You are human, your mind is not as developed as mine is." He sighed, "I never expected both our kinds to be so _similar_, nor did I ever expect something like this to happen…" I grimaced and scratched at the scar on my cheek.

"This is some complicated shit…" I muttered. Seth nodded in agreement and gave me an apologetic look.

"I am sorry for-"

"Nah, nah, don't apologize…" I interrupted, "Crazy shit like this seems to happen to me a lot. It's not your fault some… mystical-karma—mind thing-whatever the hell it is- made you have to be around me or else you hurt… This is just… _shit_." Seth nodded. Fuck's sake…This is either a _really_ elaborate prank, or the real deal.

"So… your parents aren't going to come down here and kill me or anything, right?" I asked, "Because… I kinda enjoy living, now. I would like to continue doing it, ya dig?" Seth gave a small smile.

"I highly doubt it," Seth sighed, then frowned at the floor, "They probably haven't even realized that Sara and I are gone, yet..." I raised an eyebrow. Uh oh… I know the look on his face… _parent troubles_.

"You don't really know that," I said, "Parent's can surprise you." Seth snorted and looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Not that I'm sticking up for them," I defended, "But I can't really blame them for not wanting to believe that you're stuck with… well… _me_. Look at the facts Sunshine; you're part of an advanced alien race. And _I_ am a scarred, brash, stubborn little cluster-fuck that's part of a race that's probably _really_ fucking barbaric and primitive compared to yours."

"If you are trying to comfort or cheer me up, you are doing a terrible job at it," Seth said bluntly. I snorted.

"Yeah, I know," I agreed with a grimace, "Word's aren't exactly my cup of tea. Sorry you're stuck with _this_." I gestured to myself, and Seth raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you apologizing?" He asked, "You are the best thing that could have ever happened to me." I groaned and made a face. _Sapsapsapsap. _

"You are _such_ a freaking sap." I mumbled as I scratched Vigil's neck. Seth smiled.

"I believe the term is; romantic." He told me. I snorted.

"Yeah," I retorted, "_Hopeless_ romantic, maybe. That seems to fit the bill." Seth narrowed his eyes playfully and I grinned. I picked up Vigil and got him out of my lap, telling him to stay before standing up.

"You wanna go bro?" I challenged. Seth smirked and stood up. "Ooh, Sunshine's gettin' _down_. Shit is about to _start_!" Seth took one step towards me, and I tackled him onto the bed. He landed with a grunt and I quickly straddled his waist and held his shoulders down. He looked up at me, surprised.

"You moved… quickly." He said slowly. I snickered and lightly flicked his nose.

"Yeah man," I replied, "I'm a seasoned fighter. I know my stuff.._._" Seth blinked a few times as I smirked down at him, then he got this mischievous-ass look on his face.

Then, _bam_, next thing I know, the tables are turned and _I'm_ the one with my back against the bed, and Seth is on top. I looked around confusedly and blinked several times before I came to the realization.

_Oh that bitch…_

"You cheated and used your powers, didn't you?" I accused. Seth smirked. I narrowed my eyes. "That's… _low_. That's playing dirty!" I protested.

"Who said I never play dirty?" Seth asked smugly. I snickered and chuckled to myself quietly. I couldn't help it, man! The way he said it, it just sounded so… _sexual_. As Seth was looking at me confusedly, I took my chance. I got my arm free and pulled Seth's head down and pressed his lips to mine. He froze up, and I took the opportunity and flipped us over so that I was on top again. As he looked up at me, with his flushing cheeks, I smirked.

"If you're gonna play dirty, then I will too," I told him, "And by the way, _what_ was it you said about being bad at cheering you up? I think I did a pretty righteous job, don't you?" Seth rolled his eyes as his cheeks went back to their normal, pale color.

I hopped off of him and glanced at the restless and whining Vigil. I nodded, signaling that he didn't have to stay anymore, and he ran to my legs. I picked him up and he whimpered as he licked my chin. I laughed and nuzzled the top of his head.

"Chill pup," I cooed, "We were just playing. I'm fine, no worries." I saw Seth smiling at me and I raised an eyebrow.

"What're you lookin' at?" I asked, "Is there something on my face?" Seth chuckled and shook his head.

"Nothing, nothing," He told me, "I'm just watching." I rolled my eyes.

"Alright, whatever floats your boat, Sunshine," I said, "Is there anything else you need to tell me? I'm your thingy, if I ever meet your parents they're going to loathe me, what else? You're actually a colony of super-intelligent bugs in disguise?" Seth smiled.

"No, that is all." He reassured me. I nodded. Then a thought hit me and I made a face.

"Not trying to be a downer, but uh… You… _do_ realize that you're going to have to go back," I told him, "Right? Not that I want you to or anything, I would prefer for you _not_ to be in pain, but it's gonna have to happen." Seth grimaced but nodded.

"Yes, I am aware of this…" He mumbled. I nodded. Good. He looks kinda bummed out though…

"You don't have to leave _right_ this second," I reminded him, trying to cheer him up, "Just… you know… _soon_. It's gonna have to happen." Seth nodded, but still didn't look very happy. I tapped Seth's leg with my foot as I scratched Vigil's neck. Seth looked up questioningly.

"Chill Sunshine, don't sweat over it," I told him, "Just focus on the moment, alright? Rest a day or two; relax, chill, whatever. Then we can focus on the problem. Sound good?" Seth gave a weak smile.

"Right," He sighed, "The moment." I nodded and held my hand up for him to grab

"You got it," I said as he grabbed my hand and I pulled him up, "Now can we go downstairs so I can get my tea?" Seth smiled and nodded. I grinned and set Vigil down before heading towards the door, but Seth grabbed my arm and stopped me. I turned to ask him what was up, but got cut off. By him kissing me.

Before I could do anything, he pulled away and smiled sheepishly at me as his cheeks turned a light pink. I blinked a few times, and then licked my lips. _Pumpkin spice_… oh yeah… I can dig it. I grinned at Seth, who smiled in return.

"I think…" I said slowly, "I think I could get used to this." Seth's smile widened as his cheeks darkened.

I heard a door slam downstairs and I raised an eyebrow. I looked down at Vigil, who pawed at the door, with his tail whipping back and forth. I opened the door and followed Vigil down the stairs, with Seth close behind me.

I came down the stairs and noticed Sara on the couch watching TV before I was suddenly engulfed in enormous, warm arms. _Bear_. Vigil gave a delighted yip as he danced around our legs. Bear finally put me down and beamed at me.

"Hey there, little cub!" Bear greeted happily, "Merry almost Christmas!" I grinned up at him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked happily. Bear rubbed the top of my head and laughed.

"I'm here to see you, of course!" He told me, "Tomorrow's Christmas! I wanted to drop by the presents I got for you, and make sure you were okay and…" He trailed off and I looked at him confusedly.

"Bear, what's up?" I asked slowly, "You… _are_ sober, right?" He was glaring behind me, and I turned to see what he was glaring at. Seth…

"_You_." Bear growled, "I remember you…" I rolled my eyes. How does he even remember Seth? He has a _terrible_ fucking memory. I patter Bear's arm before going to stand by Seth and putting an arm around his shoulders, partially just because I felt like it, but also to make sure Bear wouldn't suddenly try to kill him.

"Yeah, _him_," I said a bit of warning in my voice, "Bear, this is Seth. My _friend_." Seth gave me a worried look. He was probably worried that Bear would eat him or something. I gave him a reassuring smile, before turning back to Bear, who had been watching the whole little exchange and looked pissed. Bear took a deep breath before giving me a forced smile.

"May I talk with your friend… _alone_?" He said through gritted teeth. I snorted. Does he really think I'm that stupid?

"Nope," I told him, "Whatever you want to say to Seth, you can say in front of me." Bear grumbled under his breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked at me, silently asking me if I would change my mind, but I didn't budge.

"Fine, fine," He grumbled sourly. He glared at Seth, "If you _ever_ hurt my little cub, I swear to whatever god is up there, I will hunt you down, and _tear you apart_. Then, I will feed you to the dogs. When I'm done with you, there won't be anything left to bury." I rolled my eyes and squeezed Seth's shoulder. I hope he knows that I wouldn't ever let that happen… If he doesn't, then I'm gonna be very insulted.

Bear turned to me, and his eyes softened. He bit his lip and made a face.

"Just… use a condom… _Please_?" Seth and I choked and I quickly pulled my arm back off of Seth, and I must've jumped three feet away from him. Even _I_ blushed as I looked between Seth and Bear.

"_Dude!_" I protested as my cheeks flamed, "I'm not… _We're_ not… What the fuck? We're _not_ going to have sex, _JESUS!_" I rubbed at my burning cheeks. I'm pretty sure my face looks pretty much like Seth's. All red and shit… ugh... I don't like blushing. I look stupid and shit. At least when _Seth_ blushes, it's kind of adorable.

I narrowed my eyes at Bear and he shrugged.

"You needed to be told." Bear told me. I grumbled under my breath and started walking into the kitchen. Seth followed me, while Vigil stayed behind to greet Bear.

I pulled out the tea bag and threw it into the trash. As I was putting the sugar in, the door knocked and I groaned.

"I got it!" I yelled before smiling sheepishly at Seth, "Can you finish stirring my tea?" He smiled and nodded. I grinned and winked at him. "Thanks Sunshine."

I walked out the kitchen and towards the front door. Vigil trotted to my side, but as we got to the door, he started growling. I raised an eyebrow but shrugged it off.

I opened the door and once I saw who was at the door, I froze. Oh shit…

"Carrie, _darling_!"

My mom. _Jae_.

_Shit_.

**Author's Note**

**This is... _really_ fucking late. I feel so disappointed in myself D:** **But I don't really regret it. I got to spend time with my family and stuff. I didn't get any presents, but I don't really care. It was freaking awesome, presents or not.  
**

**But uh... yeah this is it. How often is it that you see something like this happen? Where they're _soul mates_ or some shit like that? Far too often, I know. But I couldn't really think of any reason for Sara and Seth to come back. So... you get this. Lulz :B**

**Aaand, since I'm stupid, I kept coming up with ideas and such, so this is gonna come in a few parts. Not sure how many, but whatever. Woo!**

**HAPPY NEW YEARS! YEA-UH!  
**

**,BlueAsh666**


	12. NotTheHoldaysAnymore Spectacular! Part 2

Jae moved to hug me or something, but I shoved her back as I struggled to keep calm and not strangle her.

"Get the _fuck_ away from me," I spat, "Before I lose my self control." Jae smirked.

"Is that anyway to speak to your mother?" She asked me. I clenched my fists so tight I was starting to lose feeling in them as I struggled not to punch her.

"What the fuck do you want?" I asked angrily. She rolled her eyes, and I heard footsteps behind me.

"Wire?" Goddamnit… you have terrible timing Seth… Sara had gotten up and came up behind him. I glanced back and looked at Sara. _Take Seth, and go take cover. Do NOT let Seth leave. That is not a request._ Sara's eyes widened and she nodded. She pulled Seth away, and Bear came up.

"What's going… on…?" He trailed off when he saw Jae. He pulled me back protectively and glared. "What are you doing here, Jae?" She smirked.

"I'm here to take Carrie back." She said. I scowled.

"What makes you think I'm going to go back with you?" I growled. She laughed and smiled at me.

"Because," She answered, pulling out a gun and aiming it at Bear, "I'll kill him if you don't. Now come to Mommy." I glared at her, but walked over to her stiffly. She smirked and put her hand on my shoulder, digging her nails into my shoulder. She put down the gun. As soon as the gun wasn't aimed at him, I slammed my elbow into her face. A shot was fired, and the sound echoed. As she cried out in pain, I kicked her away.

"I would rather die than go back you," I muttered, "You killed Jason! You killed an innocent little kid! I loved him, and you fucking killed him, _right in front of me_. How in the hell do live with yourself?" And you know what she did? She fucking _laughed_. Like I had just made a _joke_.

"You never were a bright one," she laughed, "You've always had the skills, the talents, just not the smarts… Did you really think you would be able to beat me?" I heard car doors slam, and looked over to see two vaguely familiar, _very_ muscular people. One with a baseball bat, and the other was empty handed. Jae's goons from the Steel Guns… God, I love _everything_! YES! A fucking fight!

I kicked Jae's face. Or rather… I _tried_ to. She grabbed my leg before it hit her, and smirked at me.

"I taught you well," She told me, thrusting my leg back, and I stumbled back. "_But I didn't teach you everything_."Bear and Jack came running out, Jack in just a pair of shorts, soaking wet with a crowbar in hand… he was probably freezing. I smirked back at Jae.

"You didn't need to." I said before turning to Jack and Bear. "I'll take Jae if you guys take the goons." Jack frowned and started to protest, but Bear cut him off.

"Trust me. Wire _needs_ to do this. She knows Jae's fighting style better than anyone, anyways." Bear assured him before looking at me. "But none-the-less, be careful, little cub." He told me before running off with Jack to fight the goons. I looked back at Jae and cracked my neck.

"You shouldn't have come here." I told her, cracking my knuckles. She smirked at me before moving forward.

I punched her in the gut, but got a fist to the mouth twice in return. Not very hard, mind you, but it still hurt all the same. I tasted blood. She busted up my lip… _goddamnit_. I scowled and tackled her to the ground. I managed to punch her in the face around six times before she punched me in my throat. I probably could have avoided it; I _could _have seen it coming, but… I don't know man… I just lost my cool there for a minute, and was just focusing on causing her as much pain as possible. As I choked and gagged, she threw me off.

As I staggered up to my feet, she pulled me up by my neck and started digging her nails in. I tried to pull her hand off my neck, but she really dug in _deep_. I was just hurting myself more, so I stopped pulling and tried to pry her hands off. When I couldn't, I gritted my teeth and spat blood in her face. She frowned at me and pulled out a switchblade.

"It really is a shame," She told me, "You had so much potential… And _now_ I'm going to have to kill all your friends." My eyes widened and I stopped trying to get her hand off my neck and tried to punch her. She grabbed my hands with one hand and held my neck with the other... _goddamnit_. I don't think I can win this... I haven't had my tea yet or anything… I need a boost, or an adrenaline rush, or _something_-but I don't fucking have anything of the sort… So I'm going to do the only thing I can do.

"Stop! I'll go with you, I'll do whatever you want," I said through gritted teeth, "Just leave them alone." She smirked.

"Sorry daughter," She said, "No can do… The deal is off. You know; I think I'll start off with the little blonde boy. His death will be the longest… and the most painful. And you'll get to watch." Who would have guessed that it would be _Jae _that would give me just what I was looking for! Something to motivate me further, something to infuriate me, a reason I _could not_ lose to her.

Most excellent… for _me_. Not for her…

I saw red. I snarled and spat blood into her eye. Her grip on my neck loosened, and I ripped off her hand and slammed my fist into her face.

She got a few hits in, but mostly she just tried to shield herself. Not that it did much... for every punch or kick that she blocked, for every hit she landed, she would get hit four or five times in return. That's the thing about rage man… It makes everything seem to slow down.

"You…" I laughed coldly, "you can shoot me, you can fucking _torture_ me for all I care… But you do _not mess with my fucking aliens and friends_! I'd rather get stabbed!" I picked her up and slammed her onto the ground, before digging the heel of my shoes into her stomach. She wheezed in pain, but smirked up at me. She pulled up the switchblade. Oh shit… I wasn't _serious_!

"As you wish… _Carrie_." She said before digging the knife into my thigh.

You know… I always thought being stabbed with a knife would suck _way_ worse than getting shot. And you know what? I was _right_.

I _hate_ being right…

I screamed in pain, because, well… that shit _hurt_. I pulled out the knife and threw it to the side as I stumbled back and landed on my ass.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, _OW!" _I yelled as I held my hand over the stab wound, "Bitch!" Then out of nowhere, Seth came up beside me. He looked at me concernedly, and then turned to Jae. He looked _pissed_… and to be honest… It was kinda hot… He stalked forward and picked her up off the ground and started punching her in the face. Repeatedly.

I watched as Jae kicked and punched him, which were already pretty weak from the beating I gave her; each attempted hit weaker than the last, but none of them hurt him from what I could see. He was using his powers… the little _snot_. I fucking _love_ that guy! She looked like she was going to be knocked out after the, I think, nineteenth punch. I wanted to cut in and get a few punches in… but I also kinda wanted to just sit there. The view was extremely enjoyable. It was like watching a movie!

Eventually, though, all fun has to end. I heard sirens in the distance, getting steadily closer. I forced myself to stand up.

"Seth!" I yelled, "That's enough face-rearranging. I _would_ like for you to do more, but the police are coming." He grimaced and let her fall to the ground like a sack of potatoes. I staggered to him and resisted the urge to scream like a little girl as waves of pain ran up my leg. A few small squeaks came out, though, no matter how hard I tried to stay silent. God, this is going to _hurt_ when I wake up tomorrow morning…

"Are you alright?" He asked worriedly. I looked at him like he was stupid.

"Yeah, _of course_ I am," I said sarcastically, "I only got fucking _stabbed_ in the leg." Seth grimaced and gave me a guilty look. I sighed and rolled my eyes. "I'll live. I've had worse, I suppose. Don't worry 'bout it." Seth still looked worried, but I waved him off and leaned against him to take off some of the weight on my leg. I glanced down at Jae in distaste and kicked her unconscious body. Bear and Jack came back over, a little bruised up, but other than that, they were fine. Bear saw the blood all over my hands and leg and started freaking out.

"Oh my god, there's blood! There's fuckin' _BLOOD_!" Bear panicked, "It's _everywhere! _There's so much! You're gonna die! WIRE! Don't go towards the light! _THE LIGHT IS BAD!_ I love you! DON'T DIE!" I rolled my eyes as he panicked and ranted.

"I'm not gonna die, Bear-"

"DON'T GO TOWARDS THE LIGHT!" I raised an eyebrow.

"I don't even see a light-"

"Oh _JESUS_, She's blind!" I slapped my palm to my forehead. I love Bear and all… but sometimes, he is just _stupid_. As Jack tried to calm down Bear, I looked at Seth.

"Can you help me inside?" I asked. He nodded and hooked his arm under my legs before picking me up and heading back into the house. I glared at him.

"I specifically said _help_. Not carry," I told him, "My legs aren't broken." Seth nodded.

"Maybe so, but your leg has a _stab wound_ in it." Seth said gently, "I'm not letting you injure yourself any further. Which is what's going to happen if I put you down and let you walk." I felt my eye twitch as I glared at him.

"I swear, if you don't put me down _right now,_" I warned as I poked him in the chest, "I'm going to-"

"We're here." Seth told me. I blinked and looked around. Oh… I guess we are…

Fine. He wins _this_ round… Seth set me down on the couch, and I checked out the damage. There was a lot of blood, so I couldn't be sure, but it kinda looked like it might need stitches… shit. I _hate_ stitching up wounds! I have a phobia, man!

Alex, Sara, and Vigil rushed over and fussed over my leg. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm fine, I just need a bandage and some water," I said, "I got this." Alex looked at me like I was crazy. Vigil whimpered.

"Wire… this needs stitches." I grimaced and waved her away.

"No, no, _no_. I _got_ this!" I repeated. "Just get me some bandages and some water!" She paused before nodding.

"We ran out, so we have to go to the store to get some more." She told me. I groaned. _Fuck's sake!_

"Fine…" I muttered, "Let's go." I started to get up, but Seth came closer, and the fucker picked me up _again_. I glared at him. "This is humiliating and demeaning… I will not stand for this!" Seth gave me an apologetic smile, but didn't put me down. I paused in between my glaring to look back at Vigil.

"I'll be right back!" I called, "Junkyard, take care of Vigil!" I heard Junkyard bark happily, and smiled. Junkyard'll take good care of him. "I love you buddy!" I heard Vigil yip before the door was closed by Sara. Seth raised an eyebrow and smiled at me, and I felt my cheeks warm up a bit.

"What?" I muttered defensively. Seth chuckled and shook his head, staying quiet. There were three police cars parked near the silver truck, and Jack and Bear were currently helping the officers try to wake up Jae. One of the police officers looked over at me as I was carried by, and I grinned and waved my bloody hand at him. The officer raised an eyebrow and waved back before turning his attention back to what he was doing. We got to the back-up truck, which we used for when we were driving somewhere where the truck would get dirty, either on the outside or the inside. Sara opened the back-seat door for Seth before going up to the front while Alex started up the truck.

As I settled down, I decided to stop using my hand to stop the blood, and just use my shirt. As Alex drove down the driveway, I pulled off my shirt and put it on my wound. As I wiped my hands off on the shirt, I noticed Seth staring at me, with his face bright red. I blinked.

"What?" I asked. I glanced down to make sure I had put a tank top on underneath my shirt. I did… what's his deal? It's not like I'm just in my bra or anything…

"It's a bit… small." Sara answered from up front. I looked down again. Oh…

_Oh yeah…_ It is, isn't it? Oh well. It's not like its skin-tight or anything… I shrugged before wrapping it around my leg and tying it.

"Is it a problem?" I asked slowly as I grinned, "Because if it is… Sorry, but; too bad. My shirt is all bloody now, and I'm not putting it back on." A shiver ran up my back and I grimaced. "Even if it _is_ winter and I'm cold." I added under my breath. Sara turned to stare at me. "Not-not that I am. I'm a trooper. I got this!"

Seth opened his arms up and motioned for me to come closer. I shook my head and stuck my tongue out. No. I don't do all that cuddly stuff. I'll make it until we get to the store. Seth rolled his eyes and shifted in his seat before pulling me to his chest and wrapping his arms around me.

"Dude, no," I protested, "I'm not gonna get pneumonia, let me go, I'm fine!" He rolled his eyes and tightened his hold on me. I glared at him, but… I'll be honest; I didn't really _try_ to get him to stop and let me go. He's warm! I huffed and subtly scootched closer. Seth noticed and smiled.

"You two better not be doing anything back there!" Alex said. Seth's cheeks turned pink and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm being held hostage and am being forcibly hugged." I told her as I snuggled closer to Seth. Alex laughed.

"I find that perfectly acceptable," She said, "Continue!" I rolled my eyes and nuzzled the crook of Seth's neck.

"Hey Seth," I mumbled, "Why did you need to come again? Not that I don't want you here or anything, but you really didn't need to come with us. We're just going to the store…" Seth froze and looked down at me.

"Because… because I just wanted to." Seth mumbled shyly. Holy crap this guy is friggin' cute. I just wanna pick him up and snuggle him or something! Geezus… I smiled against his neck and sighed.

Damn, this dude is _warm_… After what I _think_ was around ten minutes, I felt really tired and just a bit light-headed. My eyes got droopy and then Seth started lightly tracing the scars on my arm, which made me feel even _drowsier_, and it took all I had to not fall asleep…

Okay, damn it all. I'm sleeping, screw this.

-When I woke up-

I looked around groggily. The first thing I noticed was Seth, and that he was carrying me. Alex was leading Seth, and Sara was behind us. Then I looked around some more, and I saw a bunch of white. Then I saw a nurse and a doctor walk by. I froze up as panic rose up in a tsunami in my gut.

Then I flipped my shit.

"NOOOOOO!" I screamed, "_Hospital!_ FUCK THIS!" I practically leapt out of Seth's arms and staggered when I landed on my leg. I yelped and tried to haul ass out of there, but Seth grabbed me before I could.

"Fuck _EVERYTHING_!" I yelled as I was dragged forward. Alex was checking me in as Seth and Sara tried to calm me down.

"Wire, calm down-"

"_No!_ I am in tip-top shape, I'm healthier than a fucking _bull_ and I don't need to go to the hospital!" I tried again to leap out of Seth's arms and to freedom; but Seth was ready this time and kept his hold on me.

"You are bleeding too much, you need stitches-"

"Fuck that! In my entire life, I have _never_ needed stitches, and I sure as hell ain't starting now!"

"You are being stubborn!"

"Well, then," I retorted, "Fuck me sideways and call me stubborn, goddamnit! I don't care what you do, as long as you get me the fuck _OUT!_" The person behind the counter and a few stray nurses and doctors were looking at me peculiarly, but I didn't really care all that much. I just wanted to leave! Is that too much to ask?

"Excuse me, miss?" One of the nurses asked Alex, "Do you need someone to restrain your daughter?" I snarled.

"Don't you even fucking _dare_!" I barked, "Try something and I will kick. Your. A-"

"I would advise against it." Seth cut in quickly. All the sudden I felt really light-headed and staggered back. Seth tightened his hold on my arms and helped me stand upright.

"Are you alright?" Seth asked worriedly. I grimaced and nodded.

"Yeah… I just," I mumbled, "I don't know… I felt like I was about to black out for a second." My hearing got kind of fucked up, and everything got kind of blurry for a minute. Seth picked me back up and carried me somewhere. I wasn't really paying too much attention... I was too busy trying to shake the blurriness out of my vision. I was set down somewhere, and someone untied the shirt around my leg. Then I felt the burning.

I not gonna lie… I screamed. As soon as I realized that I was, I stopped. I had screamed, and it was embarrassing as fuck, but the shock of pain cleared my vision. And I did not like what I saw. A nurse holding a bottle of alcohol and a doctor holding a needle.

Oh no… no, no, no, no, and _NO._ _FUCK THIS SHIT!_

"No! Fuck everything!" I yelped, "I don't wanna do this, shit, shit, _shit!_ I have a fear of sharp, pointy things in my bodily parts-what the fuck was it called-_aichmophobia_!" Seth grabbed my hand while Alex grabbed the other, partially to try to calm me down, but mostly to make sure I didn't escape. I looked up at the ceiling in desperation, hoping something would fall and somehow make them let me go so I would escape.

It felt like my heart was in my throat. I was shaking, and I was _trying_ to control my breathing. I'm pretty sure I was doing a pretty crappy job, though. Seth grabbed my face and forced me to look at him.

"Wire, listen to me," He said sternly, "You are going to be _fine_." I _wanted_ to believe him; I really did, but… I still didn't, and I damn-well knew it. The doctor finished disinfecting the needle and held it up. I let out a small squeak of fear as I shrunk away.

_Oh my gob, I'm going to fucking die… _

I was about to flip my shit, but then I felt a pain in my leg. I looked down and saw a fucking syringe in my leg. I stared in horror for about five seconds before trying to scream, but my voice died in my throat. All of the sudden I felt tired, and I began losing consciousness. As my eyes closed, I heard Sara ask what they did to me.

"She was going to have a panic attack, so I gave her a small dosage of Anesthesia. It won't last long at all, and we should be able to finish before she wakes."

The nurse's voice blurred out until I couldn't hear her anymore. I had one more thought before I lost consciousness.

_I fucking hate hospitals…_

I really do. So. Much. But that's an explanation for another time…

So, I was out for… I don't really know; fifteen, maybe twenty minutes? I'm not entirely sure what went on during those fifteen minutes, and, to be honest, I don't really _want_ to know what happened. Probably a lot of things that would have made me scream like a little girl for mercy and my dad…

But, again, I don't really wanna think about that. When I first woke up, I saw I was still in the hospital…

And I flipped out. Like… literally.

Well… no, that's a lie… it's more like… _rolled_ out. Seth had been carrying me, and I leapt out of his arms. Seth made a noise of surprise and I staggered when I landed, then did a barrel roll instead of falling on my face like I would have expected to happen. I normally would have been really happy and proud about that, but I was in a fucking hospital. And my leg was kind-of burning. Like a _bitch_.

But I still somehow managed to scramble up and try to haul ass out of there. I got within sight of the exit, but then I got lifted again. I gritted my teeth and glared. This is _seriously_ pissing me the fuck off…

"Goddamnit. First of all; get me the fuck _OUT_!" I growled, "And second, put me down, damnit! I would think your arms are tired from carrying me around everywhere!" Seth rolled his eyes and- thank god- kept going towards the door. I felt a small wave of relief wash over me as we neared the door.

"That was what we were doing before you tried to run off," Seth said, "And as for your other… concern; no, my arms aren't tired. You are surprisingly light, almost worryingly so..." I looked back and saw Alex and Sara following close behind. Alex was carrying some crutches. I gave her a pleading look.

"Please make him put me down," I begged weakly, "This is ridonkulous, I can _walk_." Alex chuckled and shook her head.

"Nope, sorry Wire," Alex told me, "It's cold outside, and you're not wearing any shoes …" I huffed and started to curse; but then a doctor walked by and I froze up.

"Okay, okay, fine, you can carry me; I don't give a shit," I muttered, "Just get me out of here, _please_." The door opened and a wave of cold hit me. "Holy shitfuck!" I muttered, "It got _cold_." I looked back at Alex.

"Can you hurry up?" I asked, "I would like to leave this _hell hole_ as soon as possible please." She rolled her eyes.

"We really do need to look in to this phobia of yours," Alex said, "It's going to _suck_ when you're about to give birth to a baby… "I snorted.

"Pfft, as if… We are _never_ doing this again, never-ever." I paused and what she said through my head again, then my eyes widened and I stared at her. "And who said anything about child-birth? I'm not… What the fuck? _Seriously_… stay on topic, bro!" She rolled her eyes again and smiled before walking past me and Seth to open the back door.

To be honest… I'm not sure I won this one… It's hard to tell with Alex. She's a scheming, word-twisting, rough-and-tumble, unpredictable mad-scientist.

I fucking love her. She's not really like my mom or anything…. That's more Bear's job than anything; but she's like the older sister-mentor-ish figure I never had. It's nice… I'm still not quite used to it, but whatever man.

Alex opened the door for us, and I scrambled in with Seth close behind.

"Alright, everyone's here," I sighed as soon as Sara got in and the truck was started, "Now let's get the hell away from here as fast as possible."Alex looked back at me as the car warmed up.

"We _really_ need to see to this little phobia." She told me. I snorted. Yeah… _not_ gonna happen. Especially after this morning's events.

"Yeah? Good luck with that," I said, "Now let's get the fuck out and go home. I wanna know what happened with Jae."

"Jae can wait… We _really_ should get you over this fear." I narrowed my eyes.

"Alex… Start driving or I swear I will stuff all your bras with pudding and put them in the freezer." Alex froze and stared at me.

"I… you wouldn't…" Alex said unsurely. I snickered.

"Is that a challenge?"

The engine started up and I grinned. I won…

For now, anyways.

**Author's Note-**

**Yeah... It took a while to get this one, didn't it?** **And it's not even my best, or particularly long. ****Sorry about that :C But, on the plus side, I'm about halfway done with the next part part! Woo!**

**Thanks so much to all the people who re****ad my lame little story**. **Way more people like it than I ever expected and I am just... wow. It's amazing. Crazy, even.**

**But alright, enough of that... emotion-y stuff. Internet cookies for everyone! Or pie! Pie is awesome too. You can have some of that, if you don't like cookies.**

**Anywho, as always, tell me if I made some mistakes or anything, blah, blah, blah, thanks!**

****_If you've sneezed while reading this story, bless _you_. _

_Peace off and bless your face_

**, _BlueAsh666_**


	13. NotTheHolidays Spectacular! Part 3

I bit back a yelp and Sara tutted as she held my arm to make sure I didn't fall down the stairs to my death.

"Wire," Sara sighed as she fought back a smile, "Take your time down the stairs… You are injured. You need to be careful." I stuck my tongue out and made a face.

"C'mon," I said as I urged her down the stairs, "Don't be a sour butt. We've already got Seth doin' that." Sara smiled and walked down the steps with me.

"Just be careful," Sara reminded me, "You don't want to open the stitches and ruin _these_ clothes too, do you?" I gave a sheepish grin and shrugged in defeat. Fine, fine… one step at a time, nice and easy… even if I don't want to.

I got down the stairs and collapsed on the couch. Vigil scrambled up and licked my face. I groaned and tried not to smile, but I couldn't help it. I rubbed his ear and smiled at him.

"Hey you," I cooed, "Stop licking my face. You've got puppy breath." Vigil yipped and pounced on my stomach. I gave an '_oof!'_ before groaning.

"You suck…" I muttered, "You suck _so_ hard." I looked around before glancing at Sara, who was sitting in one of the various chairs in the living room and raised an eyebrow.

"Where is everyone, by the way?" I asked.

"They are in the kitchen," Sara answered. I blinked and cocked my head to the side slightly.

"Should I…" I said slowly, "Should we be there with them?" Bear's head suddenly poked over the top of the couch and I instinctively winced and tried punched him. Luckily, I missed him, and Bear mostly ignored the fact that I almost hit him, other than giving a sheepish smile and whispering an apology. He knows not to pop out of nowhere like that… I'm jumpy, and I just lash out naturally.

"No need," Bear answered sheepishly, "We're already done." Alex, Jack, and Seth walked into the room and Bear, with his massive-ass self, jumped over the couch and me-and probably caused a small earthquake somewhere in the world when he landed.

"Okay…" I said as I sat up, "So uh… what'd you guys talk about?" No one really answered me. They just looked at each other in that one way that makes you _know_ some sort of shit is up. I _hate_ it when people have that look. I made a face and got up as everyone got settled into a seat. Now I'm suspicious… and slightly worried. That face has never brought me good news…

Argh, fuck… I need some tea. Tea makes everything better, and that includes bad news.

"Riiight…" I muttered, "I need some tea before anything happens... I'll be right back." Seth stopped me and handed me a cup filled with tea. I stared between him and the cup.

"Where did that come from?" I asked as I took the cup. It was warm. Seth shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck as I took a sip and nodded in approval. Not bad… actually, it's pretty damn good. Not as good as mine-probably because there wasn't any milk or honey in it- but still good. Damn good.

"I made it…" Seth mumbled. I froze and stared at him. He made it…? _He_ made it? Oh my god. I fucking _love_ this dude! I grinned.

"You can make tea. _Not only_ that, but you can make it _good_. I freakin' love you, man, marry me!" I joked as sat back down. Seth's ears turned red and I rolled my eyes playfully as I sat down. Vigil scrambled into my lap as Seth sat down next to me. Once everyone was sitting comfortably on the various chairs and two couches, I stared pointedly at Bear.

"So… "I said, "What happened while we were away?" Bear's left eye twitched as he fumbled over his words.

"We-we woke her up and she got taken to jail to await trial… that-that's it." Liar. Does he think I'm stupid? He's either lying or not telling me everything. I raised an eyebrow.

"Okay…" I said slowly, "What's really going on? What aren't you telling me?" Bear laughed nervously.

"What are you talking about? Tha-that's it!" Okay… he seriously must think I'm an idiot.

"Bear, I know everything about you, including every little quirk, every little twitch. And quite frankly, I am insulted," I told him, "I _know_ you're trying to hide something from me. _Really_… don't embarrass yourself like that again." He rubbed his face and made a noise of frustration.

"Shit… why do you have to know me so damn well?" Bear groaned. He gave me a look that said '_drop it_', but I stayed firm and narrowed my eyes as I waited for him to start talking.

"Listen, kid," Jack intervened, "We all agreed that it would be best if you didn't know." I raised an eyebrow. Wow… that's… concerning. It must be pretty fucking bad, then. And if it's _that_ bad, I need to know.

"I'm gonna find out eventually," I reasoned, "You might as well tell me now and get it over with." Jack and I had a stare-down for a while until Jack sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You are… _so_ stubborn." Alex told me. I nodded. Damn right, I am. Bear scratched at his stubble and sighed.

"You _really_ want to know?" Bear asked me. I stared at him like he was stupid.

"Yes! Why else would I be so hell-bent on this?" I asked, "What part of this don't you people getting?" Maybe I was being a little harsh, but I wanted to know what was going on! It's not like I was asking for something improbable and impossible or anything! Geezus!

"Okay… first off, let me tell you that Jae is mentally unstable. She is absolutely bonkers, and not even half of what she says is true. She talks out of her ass a _lot_." Bear told me.

"Yeah, yeah, get on with it." I urged. Seriously… what is with these guys? How bad could it be?

"Well… when she woke up, she started screaming at you, even though you weren't there…" Bear trailed off and Jack cut in.

"She… she said that she was the one who killed your father." I froze. What? I… nah bro… that's… no. My dad _loved_ her. He told me once that he would do anything to be with her… Crazy and ruthless as she was, surely even _Jae_ wouldn't have done something like that. I took a shaky breath and laughed weakly.

"Ha… I'm sorry; could you run that by me again?" I said weakly, "I thought… thought that you said that Jae killed my dad… "

"He did… Listen Cub, Jae is a nut-"

"Bear, I love you, but shut up," I said as I tried to stay calm and not to jump to conclusions, "What did she say _exactly_?" Jack grimaced.

"_It was your idiot father that made you so weak, I'm glad I killed him… such a fool... He smiled even as I dug the shards of glass into him._" It… it all makes sense, now. Dad wasn't rambling in the face of death, he actually… She actually…

He loved her… he loved her to the end of the Earth and _beyond_ that. He… he used to tell me stories about her. Told me how he would suffer through all the pain in the world, just to be with her again. I never thought that she could be so…

A lump grew in my throat, and my eyes felt watery. The ceramic mug broke in my hand, and tea and blood ran down my hand. I pushed Vigil out of my lap and stood up abruptly.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, "I… I gotta go… go upstairs... right now. Sorry…" I stepped over the remains of my tea mug and all but ran up the stairs into my room. I heard everyone call for me, but I didn't really care. I slammed the door shut and locked it as I heard footsteps. I could hear voices and knocking, but it kinda sounded like it was under water, and was easily ignored. It also helped that I could barely think, about anything. It was like my mind just went blank.

I went into the small bathroom and turned on the sink, washing away the blood and tea. I briefly checked to make sure there wasn't anything still in my hand then opened the small cabinet under the sink and grabbed my first aid kit. I roughly wrapped my hand in gauze and turned off the sink then looked in the mirror.

I look so much like Jae. Jae's face was a little rounder, fuller, scar-free, and her skin was more yellow tinted than mine, sure, but still. Even a half-blind man could see the painfully obvious similarities. Every time I look in the mirror, I see her smug-ass face staring back at me, _taunting_ me. And now… it's even worse. Now, not only do I see a mother that was never there-a mother that never cared; but also my father's killer.

_I fucking hate it._

I snarled and punched the wall next to the mirror. Pain ran from my hand up to my arm, and I left a considerably large, fist-sized dent/hole in the wall. Yeah… that didn't make me feel any better. I stalked out the bathroom and clenched and unclenched my fists as I paced around my room.

My head started to hurt really badly and I sat against the door with a sigh. I leaned my head against the door and closed my eyes… and saw something I _really_ didn't want to see.

~_Flashback _~

_A familiar girl with a scratched-up face, almost eleven years old, stumbled into the hospital room nervously. She had never liked hospitals… They were always too cold, no one ever looked had any expression on their faces, and it smelled like metal, alcohol, blood, and lemon-scented cleaner. The nervousness melted away and was replaced with dread when she saw a man, drenched in sweat and connected to too many tubes and wires to be healthy. But it wasn't just any man… It was her father. She walked forward and stopped at his side and nervously reached out to touch his hand, but faltered just before contact and clutched her hand to her chest as her eyes watered. She was trying as hard as she could not to cry, but she couldn't stop her eyes from watering, no matter how hard she tried._

_"What are you crying for?"_

_The girl jumped in surprise and looked at the tired, but oddly content eyes of her father. Her lip wobbled._

_"Dad…" She whimpered, "You… you're… broken. You're… you're hurt real bad…" Her father gave a weak laugh that ended in a small fit of coughing. The girl couldn't but think of her broken toys that spluttered and froze up after speaking._

_"I most certainly am," He said, "And soon, this broken toy is going to run out of batteries." She bit her lip and a tear ran down her face. Her father always spoke what was on her mind… She wasn't sure how, but he just did._

_"Don't… don't say that. You'll be okay. You're _always_ okay." She seemed to be reassuring herself more than her father. He smiled and placed his hand on her face with a great amount of effort and wincing._

_"Lying isn't going to make things better, Wire," He reminded her, "You know that… You're the one who told me that… I'm bleeding on the inside… Lots of little bits of broken glass… Too much for the doctor's to fix." The girl sniffled and put her hand over her father's._

_"NO! The doctors will fix you… they always fix people! You can't die! Dad… I don't want you to go…" He smiled sadly._

_"I don't really want to yet, either. But it's my time… I'm happy, I'm content… I saw your mother, you know. She still looks like an angel, even as… Agh, I wish I could have helped her, saved her…" He said wistfully as he looked off into the distance. He shook his head and looked back at her._

_"But that's not important, not to you, not now. Listen Wire… it's getting hard to see. I don't think I have much time left." The girl stifled a sob and shook her head, tightening her hold on her father's hand._

_"No, no you can't go. I don't want you to!" Her father nodded._

_"I know you don't, I don't either, but I gotta," He murmured, "And before I go, you need to know some things… okay?" She nodded as big, fat tears ran down her face._

_"I love you kiddo. You are an incredible little girl, and you're gonna grow up and do great things. I'm sorry I didn't raise you better, or tell you more. You're going to hate me for that later… But now's not the time. I wish I had more time with you… you are brilliant, and you're only going to be more so when you're older." His breathing slowed and got more forced as a cloudy film came over his eyes. The girl started to sob as her father smiled._

_"I love you, Carrie. And I am proud of everything you've done, and everything you're going to do… remember that. You always seem to convince yourself that I'm not," He wheezed, "I'll be watching you. I know you're going to make me proud when I'm up in heaven… or down in hell…" His smile widened as he stared into space._

_"I see your mother… Jae… I've missed you, love…" The girl cried harder as she clutched her father's hand, feeling as it grew ever colder. The heart-beat monitor slowed more and more._

_"I love you, Wire…"_

_The heart monitor became a steady chime, and the girl froze, staring at her father. People rushed in and dragged her away, trying to turn her away from the sight of her dead father. She jerked out of their hold and tried to run back to him._

_"No! I won't leave him!" She yelled, fighting against the arms, trying not to look at the cold, emotionless faces that surrounded her. One grabbed her arm and roughly dragged her out, despite her crying and wincing as shots of pain ran up her arm. He let go of her once they were in the hallway and retreated back into the room with her dead father. The girl slammed against the door, and punched it until her hands were raw and bleeding, and her shoulders bruised and throbbing, but the door stayed closed. She finally stopped and collapsed a few feet away, making sure to keep her eyes on the door._

_It couldn't be true… It had to be a joke… She was sure her father would burst out any minute; eye's bright and clear, with a smile that could light the sun. Then he would take her to a Game Stop and get her a new game, in return for putting up with the cruel joke… He wasn't dead. He _couldn't_ be._

_The girl sniffed and wiped away her tears before forcing herself to stand up while she waited for him to come out. Her father had never liked it when she cried… So she won't be crying when he comes out of the hospital room. Maybe he'd buy her ice cream, for being such a good sport…_

_He couldn't be dead… he _couldn't_ be dead…_

_"Kiddo?" _

_The girl turned and saw a massive and very familiar person. Bear. She looked closer. His eyes were red and puffy, his hair was messy, and his lip wobbled._

_"Oh Cub… I'm so sorry…"He murmured before rushing over and picking her up, into a hug. "I'm so, so, _so_ sorry…"_

~_End flashback_~

My eyes shot open and I muttered a curse. I took deep breaths as I tried to calm myself. I rubbed my eyes. They were wet. I'm crying…

Like full on, tear after tear after tear, crying…

Holy shit. _That's_ a new one.

Stupid teenage emotions… I hate them _so hard_.

I heard Vigil whimpering and scratching at the door and felt a pang of guilt. I stood up. Vigil… he doesn't deserve to be left out in the dust. He's my friend. My furry companion. No matter what state I'm in, Vigil will be there with me. I opened the door so Vigil could slip in quickly. As soon as he was in I shut the door.

Or rather, I tried to. The door stopped a few inches from closing, and started to open.

Oh _hell_ no. I don't care who it is, no one is gonna see me, not like this. I pushed all my weight against the door and heard the satisfying '_click_' of the door being shut and locked it. No one's getting through now… _good_.

I collapsed onto my bed and Vigil scrambled up to be with me. I glanced at him and gave a weak smile as I pulled off my glasses and let them fall on the ground. He whimpered worriedly and scrambled closer and cuddled into my side, nuzzling my neck. I patted his neck and tried not to sniffle. It's bad enough that I'm fucking _crying_, I'll be damned if someone actually _knows_ that I'm crying.

I wrapped my arm around Vigil and shushed his whimpering.

"I'm fine," I murmured, "I'll be fine. It's okay… I'm okay." Vigil looked at me sadly with his big eyes and I tried to smile. I'm not too sure it worked out well, though.

We stayed like that for a few minutes, me holding Vigil as he nuzzled and licked me, trying to comfort me. Then I felt something touch my shoulder.

I cursed and sprang up, my fist flying before I even knew it. My fist went right through the person's face. Shit. Seth. I cursed again and quickly turned away, trying to hide my face.

"Dude, Seth, I am not playing with you," I muttered, "Go the fuck away. How did you even get… in…? _Right_- powers... Look, I don't care, either way-_get out_." He put his hand on my shoulder, but I brushed it off.

"I'm not leaving." I groaned in frustration. Sometimes… sometimes I miss the cold, some-what detached Seth…

"Seth, _get the fuck away_. I don't want to talk about it," I said, "Get out before I kick your ass and then _throw_ you out."I swear, I could practically _hear_ him smirk.

"You wouldn't do that." Pfft…

"Yeah? Try me." I retorted. I felt snake around my waist and I froze up. I got pulled into his lap and gritted my teeth. I tried to get away, but he tightened his hold on me. I _really_ wanted to punch him.

But I couldn't… Nah… not Seth. Not my alien bro. He's my little ray of Sunshine, I can't hurt him… _Even though I really want to_ _right now_.

"Fine," I muttered, "Yeah, I wouldn't hurt you… But can you please just… leave me alone? I don't wanna talk about it…" Seth rested his chin on my shoulder.

"Who said we were going to talk about it?" He said softly, "I know you do not wish to speak of it… I just don't want you to be alone after learning that…" I snorted.

"Stop with the sap, Sunshine… 'm not in the mood," I said, "And besides, I've got Vigil with me…"

"No offense to Vigil, but I don't think he'd be very comforting…" Vigil growled in his puppy way, and I smiled weakly.

"Oh, I think Vigil took offense," I mumbled, "I think he took a lot of offense…" I ran my finger down Vigils snout and shushed him. I sighed and stared at the floor. "Seriously, you're gonna leave now, right?"

"No."

I grimaced and tried to rub away my tears, but more kept coming and I cursed. Seriously… this whole 'crying and emotions' thing is starting to make me mad. I turned slightly and pushed Seth away, while covering my face, and letting my hair fall in my face as well, for good measure. I get that he doesn't want me be alone, and I appreciate it, kinda sorta, but I don't want him, or anyone else for that matter, to see me cry. I'll be better soon enough…

"Look, I appreciate what you're trying' to do, really," I said, "But I _really_ don't want you here…" His hold on me loosened and he faltered. He backed away a bit, and I realized how _harsh_ that sounded.

"O-oh…" Seth mumbled, "I… I apologize…" I flinched. I still wasn't looking at him, but I could definitely imagine the puppy-dog face.

"It's not that," I tried to assure him, "_chill_, I just… I don't want you…" As soon as the words came out, I wanted to take them back. Wow… that sounded… _cruel_. Why did I stop at 'I don't want you'?

"Oh…" Seth mumbled dejectedly. Agh… my heart-guts… they're breaking… he sounds like I just got him a pony… and then mutilated and killed it, then ate it, oh my god… argh. He started to back away, but I reached back and grabbed his shirt.

"No, wait, wait… that came out wrong…" I said, "It's not you, it's me…" That didn't make it better… Why can't I be good with words?

"That came out wrong too! I just…" I trailed off… How do I say that I'm crying and I don't want him to see without actually saying that I'm crying?

"You do not want me here, I understand…"

"What? Naw, Sunshine! I want you here… kinda, I think. I just… agh how do I say this…?" I groaned. Oh, I goofed it… might as well tell him, now… before I make things even _worse_… "I'm… I'm doing the… the water-thing and I don't want anyone to see…" Seth paused.

"Water-thing? You… you mean _crying_?" I slapped my hands over his mouth and shushed him, a bit harshly. But can you blame me? Gob, as loud as he said it, he might as well have yelled it!

"Geeze, go ahead and scream it to the world, why don't ya?" I muttered. Seth gave a muffled apology through my hand. I rolled my eyes and pulled my hand off.

He turned me around and I let my hair fall in my face. Yeah, I still don't want him to see me crying, what of it? Crying is showing weakness. I learned that with the Steel Guns.

"May I see?" Seth asked softly. I made a face.

"I would prefer not," I muttered, "… but… if you _have to_, then I won't try to stop you."

"Only if you want me to." Seth told me. I sighed… He's gonna make me regret this… just you watch. He's gonna _laugh_ or something… I am _so_ gonna regret this later… I ran my fingers through my hair and out of my face then looked up at him. His eyes widened and I grinned weakly.

"Yeah, I know…" I mumbled, "Pretty lame, am I right?" Seth shook his head then leaned in closer and kissed my forehead. Normally, I would say something about him being _sappy_ and _lame_, but… I _am_ the one who's crying, so who am I to talk about being lame?

"It's really pissing me off," I sighed, "This whole… crying thing. It won't fuckin' stop… it's just like tear, after tear, after tear. It's stupid… There are girls who cry _all the _time… how in the hell do they put up with this shit? It's ridonkulous…" Seth chuckled and wiped away my tears with his thumb. Again, normally I'm against this thing, but… I'm fucking _crying_. I don't do that normally, either. Since I'm already doing out-of-the-norm shit, might as well let it slide…

Vigil popped up and squeezed in between me and Seth. He put his forepaws up on my shoulders and licked my face. More specifically, my eyes. I made a face and squeezed my eyes shut.

"Aww… gross, Vigil," I mumbled, "Stop it you furry little bas-mmph!" I choked and pushed Vigil away, spitting and spluttering. I wiped my mouth off with my sleeve and glared at Vigil, who looked _very_ pleased with himself but also a little guilty, and Seth, who was laughing his ass off.

"Vigil, I will forgive you and love you forever," I told him, "If you do the same thing you did to me, to Seth." Vigil yipped and pounced on Seth. Seth fell on his back as he tried to avoid Vigil's tongue. I smirked evilly as Seth yelped and made a noise of disgust. Vigil bounded off of him and to me. I rubbed his head.

"Good dog." I cooed as Seth sat up and glared at me. His hair was all messed up, and, quite frankly, he looked really friggin' cute. I smiled to myself and wiped my face with my sleeve. "You're lucky… I could have had Vigil do a _lot_ worse." Vigil yipped at hearing his name and pounced into my lap, his tail whipping back and forth. I chuckled quietly and lightly scratched his side. He squirmed around and I smiled. I glanced up at Seth, who was watching me and Vigil with this dorky little smile on his face… Seeing that, it got me thinkin'… It got me thinkin' a lot…

_Damn_. I am so fucking lucky… An _alien_ is my bro, maybe more; and Sara, as damn nosey as she can be sometimes, I still fuckin' love her. Jack and Alex, I don't see 'em much, but they're amazing, and they don't push me into coming with them to the signings or anything; and don't even get me started on Bear… my momma grizzly… I don't deserve all of this. I'm responsible for deaths. I get into all _kinds_ of trouble, yet I still get all of this…

You know, I think… I think I'm good now. _Well_, not _good_, but, I feel better… I still hurt; you know, on the inside, but… What's done is done… Dad wouldn't have wanted me to be upset over him still… I still loathe Jae, and wouldn't hesitate to put her in a coma, though. That's never gonna change. May or may not be a good thing. But whatever, man… I don't really care. I got Bear, I got Vigil, I got Jack and Alex, and my aliens… Yeah. I'm gonna be okay.

That's the reason I don't like talking about my problems. I don't understand why people feel better when they talk about everything that's wrong in their life… when I do it, I just fall into a little bout of depression and anger and stuff. They never last very long anymore; I got too much to be thankful for, now-but still. It's not a fun time… Focusing on the good makes the bad seem… not _so_ bad. I dunno… maybe it's just me, but focusing on all the horrible-ness just… it doesn't make me feel better.

"Hey, Seth…" I mumbled awkwardly, "I uh… thank you. Having you here… it-it helped, a hell of a lot more than I thought it would. And what's more, you didn't make me talk about it, which Bear, Alex, or Jack, probably would have tried to make me do…. Just… thanks, Sunshine." Seth cocked his head to the side.

"You are feeling better?" He asked curiously. I shrugged.

"Yeah... I mean, I still wouldn't hesitate to kill Jae, but yeah, I feel better," I said slowly, "I know, it was quick, right? But I just… I got it good. I got all you guys, I still have Bear, and I got Vigil. Dwelling on things that happened years ago, it ain't gonna help me. Not only that, but dwelling and moping; it just isn't my thing… And anyways, being depressed, it's kind of pointless. Just a big waste of time that you could be doing something productive. I would know… I've been there. I don't wanna go back…" Seth nodded, looking a little surprised, and paused before holding his arms out.

"Come here."

I snorted and shook my head as I smirked to myself. Yeah… I'm still not all into the whole _hugging and affection_ thing. But when I looked back up, his arms were still up, and he was _still_ waiting. I sighed and rolled my eyes as I fought off a smile. Fine, fine… just this once, I'll do the whole _hugging and affection_ thing… But I'm not moving.

"Why don't _you_ come here?" I asked, "I _am_ the one with the stabbed leg…" He smiled and scootched closer, pulling me into his arms. I nuzzled the crook of his neck and smiled. I felt Vigil nudge and lick my shirt.

Yeah… I'm _real_ lucky…

-Downstairs-

I got down the steps and looked outside. Then I cursed. It was dark… how long was I up there? I was about to ask, but then Bear came out of nowhere and hugged the life out of me.

"Wire! Oh my freaking geezus, listen kid, I know it sucks, and I know it must hurt knowing that your own mother killed-"

"-_Bear!_" I wheezed, interrupting his rambling as I struggled to get much need oxygen into my lungs, "Shut the fuck up and listen! Can't! _Breathe!_ _Lemme goo!_" I could faintly hear Seth and Sara yell something and I was dropped onto the floor, and then fell back onto the floor as I took desperate breaths. Vigil was at my side immediately, whimpering with concern, and Bear apologized profusely, but I waved him off.

"I'm okay," I said between coughs and wheezes, "It's all good… Ow, I… I think you broke some of my ribs." I laughed weakly, "No biggie… s'not like… I _need_ my ribs or anything… Agh… one of you help me up…" Bear and Seth both pulled me to my feet and I leaned on Seth. Bear fidgeted as he began to talk about Jae, and dad, and… I felt really… I don't really have a word for it, but it wasn't a good feeling.

"Wire… I really am sorry about this…" Bear said softly. "Jae is fucked up to have had to-"

"-Shut up." Yeah… believe it or not, it wasn't me who said that. I was _about_ to say that, but someone beat me to the punch. That person, who bravely, and rather stupidly, beat me to the punch? Seth. Everyone stared at him, including me. Seriously… does this guy have a death wish? Bear loomed over Seth with a scowl. I tried to step in between them to prevent any bloodshed, but Bear gave me _the look_. The look he only gave me once before. It was a look that told me to _stay out of it, or face the consequences_.

Still though… Seth is my bro… my _alien_ bro. My _friend_… maybe more. I'm not letting Bear kill him. I stayed firm by Seth's side and glared back. If he expects me to move away like an obedient puppy dog, he's got another thing coming. No offense to Vigil, though, I love him, he rocks…

Bear scowled, but didn't say anything or try to move me. He got up real close to Seth, and kneeled down to his height. The muscles in arms and legs tensed as I prepared to jump in.

"What did you say?" Bear asked slowly, and emotionlessly. I got a bit nervous. I've never heard Bear use that tone of voice before, _ever_… I wasn't sure if I should've been _really_ worried, or _really_ impressed with Seth. Said dumbass stared right on back.

"I apologize, that was rude, but I will not take back what I said," He said calmly, "For her own reasons, she does not wish to talk about the previous occurrences, and I, and _you_ are, going to respect that." Bear glared intensely for a few seconds before breaking out into a smile.

"_Damn_, kid… standing up to me? That's an impressive feat," He chuckled. He turned to me, "I officially approve now, Wire, and I'm sorry. I didn't know that you didn't want to talk about it… you should'a said something. _Now_… I'm gonna go help Alex and Jack cook. I'm cutting the chicken." When he walked away I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding and glared at Seth. I tried to shove him to the ground, but he got his balance back at the last second.

"Stupid!" I scolded harshly, "Are you trying to die, you fucking idiot? My leg is all jacked up, and if Bear had tried to kill you, I might not have been able to stop him! Argh, you give me headaches!" Seth smiled meekly and shrugged sheepishly.

"I apologize… You were worried?" He asked curiously. I huffed and gritted my teeth.

"Damn straight, I was motherfuckin' worried! I thought you were gonna become a splatter on the ground!" I said exasperatedly, "Next time you decide to be stupid, do it when I'm gonna be able to save your pale, alien ass, and _not_ get myself hurt, would ya?" I gave an aggravated sigh as Seth did this damned little _smile_, and kissed my forehead.

"Kissing my forehead doesn't automatically make things better, you know…" I mumbled. He raised an eyebrow and smile turned a bit devious, before getting closer and brushing his lips against mine then backing away. I stared at him blankly.

"Still didn't make things better." I told him. When he slumped over in defeat, I grinned and threw my arm over his shoulder. "It _did_ help though. But, next time, uh… don't… don't do that in front of your sister… please." Seth jerked up and stared at Sara like he had _just now_ noticed her, and his face got red.

"You forgot I was here…" Sara accused playfully. Seth's cheeks darkened and I laughed. Heh, he dun goofed…

Yeah… a lot of shit happened today... a lot of bad shit. But… it wasn't necessarily a bad day… I'd even go as far as to say it was a good day. I gotta say, though… I am fucking starving. I could eat a goddamn horse…

"Dinner's ready!"

Woo! Yeah! Geezus, I love everything!

~-Bonus!-~

My eyes shot open, and I stared into the dark, very confused. Why in the hell did I wake up? I wasn't having a nightmare… And I still felt extremely tired, but I just couldn't fall back to sleep. I sighed and sat up, rubbing my neck as my eyes adjusted to the dark.

Vigil opened his eyes and looked at me curiously, letting out a long yawn that ended in a whine. I smiled sheepishly and rubbed the top of his head.

"Sorry," I whispered, "I don't know why I'm up…" I really don't… but I had the urge to get up and go somewhere. Like a tuggy, pully type of feeling in my chest. I figured it would be best if I followed it… just had a gut-feeling… Heh, get it? Gut feeling? The only reason I got up (I think) was because of the feeling in my…? But it's not really in my gut; it's in my chest…?

You know what, never mind. I'm tired. My humor isn't exactly working out all that well for me right now…

What was I doing? Oh wait… right. I was going to follow my gut… chest… whatever, fuck it, the tuggy-thing. Argh, what time is it? I looked at the clock. One in the mother-freaking morning… argh…

I gently picked up Vigil and held him with one arm. He rested his head on my shoulder, and as I opened the door, I'm pretty sure Vigil fell back to sleep. I tiptoed down the hall and followed the pully feeling to a door. I couldn't really remember whose door it was…

_Oh well_…

I slowly opened the door, wincing every time it let out a small creak. I heard a small groan. I made my way to the bed, tripping a few times over… whatever the hell it was. I didn't stop to check. I gently placed Vigil down at the foot of the bed. He looked up at me for a few seconds before lying back down and shutting his eyes. I stepped over to where whoever-it-is was sleeping and squinted my eyes to try to see better.

I _think_ it's Seth… Or Sara just got a haircut without me knowing. Without thinking, I placed my hand on his forehead. I froze when he stirred, but luckily, he didn't wake up. If he did, he probably would have thought that I was trying to rape him or molest him, or _something_. I seriously doubt that he'd believe me if I told him I was standing over him like a freaking creeper because of a '_tuggy feeling'_.

As I was about to pull my hand away, I noticed the sweat. I raised an eyebrow. How is he hot? It's frickin' cold man, I can barely feel my toes anymore, and I got goose bumps on my arm, and then this here mo-fo has the blanket thrown off, and as I placed my hand on his arm, I felt him shiver, rather violently.

Wait… what? How is he _sweating_, and then _shivering_? Is his body bipolar or something?

Seth let out a small whimper, and then I realized that he was having a nightmare. And nightmares suck… I would know; so I can't just let him suffer through it…

"Seth… Seth, wake up," I whispered as I shook his arm. When he didn't stir, I shook him harder, "Yo! Seth! Open your eyes! Nightmare! Wakey-wakey!" He grabbed my arm and another whimper came out… and I felt really, _really_ bad for him. Nightmares are terrible, _horrible_ pieces of shit that should not exist. But they do. And they suck…

Seth's breathing started to get a little irregular, breathing out in little pants. He shook his head in his sleep and gave a strangled cry. Oh man… I need to wake him up before this gets out of hand, and he ends up waking the entire house…

I checked to make sure the door was closed before leaning down so that my mouth was right next to his ear.

"Wake the fuck up!" I said, as loudly as I could without waking up everyone in the house, "C'mon Sunshine, open your eyes!" His eyes shot open, and they were full of fear, anguish, and despair. He took one look at me, then dragged me onto the bed with him and crushed me to his chest, burying his face into my shoulder. I wasn't sure if I should've been worried he was trying to kill me, or sympathetic. I went with a little bit of both. One of them just went silent…

"Are… you okay?" I asked unsurely, "That must've been one hell of a nightmare…" I felt him nod, and sighed as I got comfortable… probably gonna be here a while… I rubbed his back, feeling _very _awkward.

"Uh… there-there… I'm here," I said slowly, "It was just a nightmare… Everything's fine…?" I kissed his shoulder (or was it his neck? I'm not sure which.) and ran my fingers through his hair. It was surprisingly soft… But that's kinda beside the point, I'm going a bit off track, sorry.

Seth wasn't saying anything, so I figured I would keep talking. I've never really comforted anyone after they've had a nightmare, before… I wasn't sure what to do, so I just did what my dad always did… just held him, and whispered comforting-ish things to him. I didn't try to get him to talk about it or anything… I would'a been quite the hypocrite if I did, eh?

It took a while, but Seth finally stopped holding me like I would turn into dust and blow away if he let go, and relaxed. I stayed where I was, because, well… Seth was… really, _really_ warm. It was comfortable, and Seth wasn't complaining, so I figured, what the hell- why not?

I was just chillin', listening to Seth's heartbeat, when he spoke up.

"You must have been quite confused, yet you stayed, and didn't ask questions," He murmured, "Thank you…" I smiled.

"Don't worry 'bout it," I told him, "I get nightmares all the time… I know how it feels… it sucks. It sucks even more when you're alone. Lucky you have me here, yeah?" I felt Seth nod.

"I apologize for asking this, and you are more than welcome to say no, but… Could… could you-"

"You want me to stay for the night?" I finished. Seth fidgeted and nodded. I could imagine him blushing, right about now. "Yeah, sure. You're warm, and I don't wanna get up right now… I'll stay. But we're _only_ sleeping, you dig?" Seth spluttered, and I _know_ he's blushing now. I laughed and patted his arm.

"Chill, chill, I was playin'," I assured him, "Now seriously… I am tired… Go the fuck to sleep." Seth nodded and kissed my temple. I rolled my eyes, but I didn't groan or make a face. Too tired to do that…

I stifled a yawn and squirmed a bit closer. My eyes closed and I let the rhythm of his heart lull me to sleep.

Oh my gods, this is cheesy, and I damn well know it… but you know what? I don't really care at this point…

**Author's Note-**

**Oh Yeah! I'm gettin' pretty good at writing romance-y-ish ****stuff! I'm still debating on whether or not I should be proud of that, or ashamed...**

**But what ever bro! Woo! Wire and angst! Doesn't really mix too well... I _think_ that's a good thing. Yeah... yeah, that's a good thing.**

**Sorry to cut this short, but the new Adventure Time is on _really_ soon, and I don't want to miss it. **

**As always, tell me if I made any mistakes in spelling and what-not, and thanks for reading :) I appreciate it mucho mucho**

**,BlueAsh666**

_I have an awesome hat. Be jelly.  
_


	14. NotTheHolidays Spectacular! Part 4

I woke to knocking. I blinked and looked around confusedly, wondering where I was, and then I remembered. I woke up for some reason, and when I came in to see if it was all good, Seth was having a nightmare. Pretty convenient timing, eh?

I heard the knocking again and untangled myself from the blankets, then told Vigil to stay with Seth as I stumbled out the room and down the stairs, careful to not wake Seth. I stifled a yawn as I came to the door, and opened it, expecting to see Bear. But it wasn't Bear…

Two people stood in front of me. A man and a woman. And they were both stupidly beautiful… and kinda familiar. The woman had pale blonde, long hair, and hazel eyes. She was only a few inches taller than me, and curvy. The guy was tall, around Jack's height. He had the _bluest_ eyes I had ever seen… other than Sara's. His hair light brown, and combed back. He had an angular face, and I noticed that he had the same nose as Seth. I cocked my head to the side slightly. Damn Seth… he's rubbin' off on me.

"Can I… can I help you?" I asked unsurely. The woman nodded.

"Yes," She said- her was voice light and airy, "We are looking for our children." I raised an eyebrow.

"Right… I'd love to help… what are their names?" I asked, "Maybe I've seen them. I get around… might've talked with 'em or somethin'."

"Sara and Seth." I froze. Uh oh… please tell me that's just a coincidence… I heard footsteps behind me.

"Wire? Why did you leave?" Seth said from behind me. I grimaced and slapped my forehead. I love that kid, I swear I do, but he has the absolute _worst timing_, I've ever seen. In anyone.

The lady, who I'm assuming, is his mother ran right on into the house, uninvited, and started squeezing the life out of Seth. Kinda rude, coming into the house like that uninvited, but whatever… I glanced at the guy, who was still waiting to be invited in. At least _some_ people have manners…

"You wanna come in?" I sighed as I ran my fingers through my hair, "You're welcome to, if you want." The guy nodded and smiled meekly before stepping inside. I shut the door, and turned to watch as Seth was coddled by him mom. I rubbed the back of my neck and shared a look with the guy, who, once again, I'm only guessing, is his dad.

They began whispering to each other about something, and then all the sudden, the lady turns and glares at me like I just kicked her dog or something. I shuffled nervously and looked at Seth for help, but he wasn't really much help… he just gave me an apologetic look and shrugged.

Luckily, or not so luckily, Sara came down the stairs, followed by Junkyard and Vigil. Vigil saw the strangers, and started growling at them, like was going to _do_ something… pfft, what a bunch of bull… Vigil ain't gonna do crap, he's too young… Heh, I appreciate the gesture, though. I clicked my tongue and pointed to my feet. Vigil whined nervously, but ran to my feet, glaring and growling at the two strangers distrustfully. I shushed him and tapped his leg to silence him. I looked back at the guy awkwardly.

"So, uh… you're… Sara and Seth's dad?" I asked. He nodded, and I felt a headache start up. I rubbed my face with my hands and sighed.

"I need some tea…" I mumbled as I stumbled into the kitchen, with Vigil following close behind me. As the water warmed up, I picked up Vigil and let him sit on the counter, and smiled fondly as he nuzzled my side. I rubbed the top of his head.

I sighed. "Why can't things ever just be _easy_?" Vigil yipped in response, and I smiled as he squirmed and struggled to lick my hand. He jumped up on my chest, with his tail whipping back and forth as he looked up at me with bright eyes. My smile grew and I began tapping his head lightly, and he squirmed as he tried to grab my hand between his teeth. He began growling in that adorably awkward puppy way of his, and I laughed. He took advantage of that and bit my finger, lightly tugging on it as he growled.

I chuckled and picked him up with my other hand and held him to my chest, kissing his nose. "I am so glad I have you," I told him, "Without you, I would've lost what little of my sanity remains." Vigil yipped and licked my chin as I grinned. I set him on the floor when the water-heater clicked, and poured the water into the cup, then tossed a tea bag into it. I didn't really feel like getting the sugar and milk out, so I just put more honey in than I usually do, and put in some powdered creamer. After I finished stirring, I tossed the spoon into the sink and walked back into the living room, with Vigil following behind me like the little fur ball of awesomeness he is.

Jack and Alex came downstairs to join the party, apparently. They were standing by the stairs, looking like they weren't sure if they should be introducing themselves, or kicking the two strangers out. I can dig it, since I was kinda wondering the same thing; especially since Seth and Sara looked so… tense and kinda worried and stuff. I walked over to Alex and Jack.

"Merry Christmas." I mumbled. Jack nodded absently and rubbed the top of my head absently, making sure to keep an eye on the aliens. The lady looked at me and narrowed her eyes, making my stomach churn with unease… _Yeah_… I don't know why, but I have a feeling that this day is gonna end in pain… _Yay_...

That was sarcasm, if you didn't catch it…

Very soon, I got tired of standing around awkwardly, and of referring to Seth and Sara's parents as 'that guy' and 'that lady', or just 'them'. So I walked forward, turning often to make sure that Jack and Alex wouldn't disappear behind me, and introduced myself when it seemed like they were all done talking.

"Hello…" I said meekly, wiggling my fingers in an awkward wave, "I'm uh… I'm Wire… Sara and Seth's friend." The lady shot me a familiarly piercing glare, and I flinched. The guy tried to give me an assuring smile, I _think_, but it came out as more of a grimace. He walked over to me and held out his hand for me to shake, which I did.

"I am Martin," He told me before pointing back to the lady, "That is my… wife, Lydia." I noticed that he had kinda said _wife_ like it left a bad taste in his mouth, but I didn't really push on the issue… it's not that important. He let go of my hand and I nodded.

"Right… It's… it's nice to meet you guys," I said before glancing back at Alex and Jack, jerking my head towards the alien family, telling them to move their asses and get over here. They walked over and introduced themselves, and as they did that, I noticed that the lady, Lydia, kept looking at me like… like I was some stray animal on the street.

By the way, I could never understand why people look at strays like they do… They've gone through _shit_, and people look at them like they're trash, and even go as far as to kicking them and throwing stones. It's stupid… they've got enough problems, just _barely_ scraping by; they probably don't appreciate shit being thrown at them…

Right, shit, off topic… Agh, what time is it? I looked at the clock, and my shoulders sunk down, and I bit back a groan. Four o'clock in the morning… Who in the hell gets up at four AM, on Christmas morning?

Well… I did, actually, when I was younger, before dad died, but still! Four! In! The! Morning! Would it have _killed_ them to wait at least one more hour?

I was brought out of my thoughts by Lydia calling my name. I looked at her.

"Yeah, what's up?" I asked. She stood up and started walking towards me.

"I understand that you are my son's… significant other…?" She asked. I nodded in confirmation, and she continued, "I would _very much_ like to be able to speak with you." I paused a moment to size her up before responding. I could probably take her if she went nuts and tried to attack me…

I nodded, ignoring Seth's warning look. "Yeah, sure... we could talk, if you wanna. When?"

"Right now, if that's not too much to ask…" She said, "_Alone._" I paused to stare at her suspiciously, but nodded. I walked over and opened the door that led to the Piano room. There were three different chairs in it, not counting the piano bench. It would work… I gestured into it, and Lydia and Martin walked in. I looked back at Seth, who was shaking his head vigorously, motioning for me to come to him, but I shook my head. I'm not gonna leave his parents in there… that would be rude. And besides…

What's the worst that could happen?

I shut the door and looked around the room. Lydia and Martin were chilling in the chairs, though Martin looked a little worried. There were papers… everywhere. I made a face and picked up some of them, putting the up on the piano.

"Sorry about the mess," I apologized as I briefly looked through some of the papers, "No one other than me really comes in here, so I never really worry about picking up all the papers, ya know?"

"It is fine… did you write this?" I looked up and saw Martin reading through one of the papers, "It's good…" I felt my cheeks burn and I grimaced as I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Yeah… everything on all the papers, I wrote 'em… I write more lyrics than I know what to do with." I said sheepishly. He looked at it for a little bit more before handing it to me. I tossed it onto the small pile that sat on top of my piano. I sat onto the piano bench and sighed. "So… what did you want to know?" Lydia spoke up first.

"How did you two meet?" She asked. I briefly considered lying, as I wondered what to say. But… nah, I'm not gonna lie… I'll just leave out all the… really bad bits.

"How we met…" I mumbled under my breath. Could she have picked a _worse_ question? "Well… Seth and Sara were in a taxi, and I ran in. I uh… I wasn't in a hurry to go anywhere, so I stayed with them, and then we got to the… I think they said it was an outpost; Jack and I followed them in, and things just… kinda went from there." Lydia and Martin exchanged a look, and then turned back to me. I felt worry churn in my stomach, but forced it down and kept a straight face. _I got this…_

"Do you care about our son?" Martin asked. I raised my eyebrows and smiled, shaking my head to myself as I chuckled quietly.

"Well, yeah… of course I do. Not just him, but Sara too," I said with a wry smile, "I wouldn't have gone and infiltrated a top secret government base, and got used as a punching bag by an alien assassin if I didn't, ya dig?" Martin gave a small smile.

"Are you educated?"

Uh oh… uh… I think… I _think_ it would be best if I did a little white lie on this one… See, when I got forced into the Steel Guns, the stupid fucking little gang, I was also forced to give up on school. Recently, I've been catching up on school work. I'm currently nearing the end of the eighth grade level. I _should_ be around the tenth to eleventh grade level. So, I'm not _too_ far behind. I'm learning pretty damn quickly, and I'm doin' pretty good, if I do say so myself.

"Sort of… I'm working to get a high school diploma." Technically, it's not a lie… I am trying to get one... I'm just… some years late, is all…

"Would you do _anything_ for my son?" Lydia pressed. I raised an eyebrow. That's a… an oddly worded question, eh? Almost _suspicious_, if I do say so myself. But whatever man. They _are_ aliens, I guess… I blew a stray strand of hair away from my face and leaned back against the piano, rubbing my neck.

"Odd question, but whatever… Well… I… I would like to _think_ I would." I said slowly. Martin raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean, '_you would like to think'_ you would?" He asked. I shrugged and stared up at the ceiling.

"Well…" I explained slowly, "I can't see the future, so I can only _guess_ what I'd do in certain situations. I can't know what I'm gonna do, until something happens and I do it." Lydia stared at me for a few seconds before nodding and standing up.

"I'm going to do it." Martin kind of freaked out.

"What? Lydia, love, what if it _hurts_ her? Seth would not be happy!" I blinked, looking between the two of them.

"What…?" I asked confusedly, and a bit worriedly. I was ignored…

"Nonsense! She's just a human. I highly doubt she would even know I'm there, much less be able to fight it." My eyes widened.

"I'm sorry, but WHAT?" I asked exasperatedly. I stood up as Lydia walked closer, tapped my head once and then backed up, instead of hitting me like I had expected. I relaxed and looked at her confusedly. What the hell is goin' on?

"I highly advise against this…" Martin warned. Lydia ignored him, and I suddenly felt… something. I don't know how to explain it, not really, but I'll give it my best shot…

It kinda felt like something was crawling around in my head, pushing and tugging at my brain. Kinda like a headache, but not. It didn't really hurt, but it felt… _wrong_. It was something that shouldn't have been there. So, I shook my head vigorously and tried to dispel it as I clutched my head… Remember how I said it didn't hurt? Well, it didn't. Truly.

At least… it didn't hurt until I tried to get rid of it. _Then_ it hurt. It hurt like a bitch.

But that wasn't the worst bit of it. At first, it was just pain. Lots of pain. As in, every bit of pain I've ever felt in my entire life…

I should explain better, I think. It was like, every time I've ever hurt myself, from the tiniest paper cut, from the time I got stabbed in the leg yesterday, to the time I got stabbed in the back by a tree, thanks to an alien assassin. I was _reliving_ every moment of pain I'd ever had, all at the same time.

It sucked. A lot. But I didn't scream. I don't know how I managed it, but I did.

Then, I started seeing flashes of stuff I _really_ didn't want to see. My dad taking his last breath, little Jason falling lifelessly to the ground as blood poured from his chest, Sara and Seth being dragged away like they were dead. It wasn't a good time… and the pain? It grew… a lot. I dropped down on my knees and whimpered.

By then, I was damn well sure I didn't want to let that thing poking around in my mind through, and I sure as hell didn't want to scream either. I began chanting to myself inside my head.

_I will not give in. I will not scream. I will not give in. I will not scream. I will not give in. I will not-_

Despite that, I gave in. Pretty damn quickly too. And you know what made it worse? Not only did I give in, but I also screamed. It was a loud, raw, and pain-filled scream. I didn't even try to stop it. And everyone in the house heard it.

So, I had screamed. I was in excruciating pain. Not only that, but I was also being forced to see every bad thing I had ever seen in my life, everything I _didn't_ want to see, forced to relive every moment of regret, of hopelessness, of every time I felt like killing myself, every time I had to stand idly by as someone suffered and begged for help and received _nothing_. I was down on the ground, just _barely_ able to keep from curling into a little ball and sobbing like a little bitch. It was not my idea of an enjoyable time…

And then Seth did his… alien-phase-thingy through the wall. Then Jack busted down the door. Jack, Alex, and I had no idea what was going on, or what had happened to me, but Sara and Seth must've, because they were glaring at Lydia and yelling stuff at her. I'm not sure what they were saying… my ears were ringing too loud, but Martin was holding Lydia, and I'm pretty sure she was sobbing. I could barely even bring myself to care… I felt like dying. I was reminded of just how horrible humanity could be. It sucked. I'm sorry, I know I've been saying that things suck for a while now, but I really can't think of a better word for how it was.

Seth had gotten on his knees and pulled me to his chest, and said something. Not sure what, though, because at that moment, all of the sudden it felt like my entire body was on fire, and then it just… stopped. Images and memories ran through my head. And, then all the pain, all the sorrow, and hate I had felt just moments ago, was replaced with something else…

I saw a lot of things, and heard. My dad and I dad buying ice cream, way back before I stopped trying in school. Playing with Jason, pretending to be an airplane while Jason sat on my shoulders and was the pilot. Playing Poker with Sara, Seth, and Junkyard. Every snow fall; every good feeling. Every moment of pride, and confidence, and just being _happy, _in that naïve, little-kid way. Seeing all the good, almost made it alright, having to see all the things I've worked so hard to erase from memory… _almost_.

It was like having the ultimate mood swing. It was just like _Boom!_ You're in excruciating pain! _Bam!_ Depression and self-hate! _Pow!_ Everything that's ever made you happy! And then _Whoosh!_ Now you're angry! It might not have affected me as much, if I had ever actually _had_ a mood swing before… but still… I handled it pretty decently. I _think_ I did, anyways. I wasn't crying or anything, I didn't feel emotionally exhausted…

… _Okay,_ to be honest, I lied. I _was_ exhausted. Only… not emotionally exhausted… it was more like_ physically_ exhausted. My senses were kinda wacked up. I could hear decently enough though, I could hear Jack yelling at Martin and Lydia, but I quickly zoned that out and tried my best to ignore the quickly growing fury in my stomach. Vigil was whimpering from somewhere besides me, but when I opened my eyes, I didn't see anything. Just black.

"… I can't see… Am I blind? I am, aren't I? I'm freaking blind… balls." I mumbled into Seth's shoulder. He began rubbing my back soothingly.

"No, no, you are not blind," Seth assured me, "It is just a… a side effect. Your sight will come back to you soon. I shrugged and nuzzled the crook of his neck.

"So what happened to me anyways?" I asked. Agh… I need a nap.

"Our mother," Sara answered, "She has the ability to gain access to… everything. Every memory, every thought, and every emotion you've ever experienced…" Woah…

"That's… not cool… But I still _kinda_ wanna learn how to do that," I said, before pausing, "Well… actually, now that I think about it… _Nah_… That's a huge invasion of privacy… I wanna be able to fly. Can anyone on your planet do that?" I heard Sara giggle quietly.

"No, unfortunately not." I frowned.

"Aw… damn. That sucks…" I sat up and opened my eyes, only to yelp and shut them again, and then bury my face back into the crook of Seth's neck.

"Ah, ow, ow, bright, fffff-"Seth chuckled quietly as I groaned to myself, "I think I can see again. Agh… freaking bright lights and-and, _shit_!" I grumbled curses under my breath, and tried opening my eyes again. It still hurt… but it wasn't quite as bad as before. It was bearable, at least… and I could work with it. I rubbed my eyes under my glasses, and noticed that there was water on my hands. I was crying…

Fuck. Naw.

I stood up, rather shakily, despite the protests from Sara and Seth, and then turned to Jack. He was still yelling at Lydia and Martin. And I just can't have that… if _anyone's_ going to do the yelling, it's gonna be me.

"Jack… _Jack_… _JACK_!" I yelled, making him pause and look at me, "I love you man, but _shut up_. Because as of now; _I_… _am_… _talking_." He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no sound came out. I walked over and stood in front of Lydia, who was still shaking like a leaf and sobbing.

"Lydia. _Look at me._" I said with a deathly calmness, and only when she looked at me with a tear-stained face, did I continue, "You listen here, and you listen _good_. _Never_ do that again… I am not a very patient or forgiving person… The only reason you're not in a bloody pulp right now, is because you're Sara and Seth's mother." I paused to take a shaky breath before continuing.

"It took me _years_ to forget some of the things you brought to mind. _Fucking years_. And you made all that effort and time go to waste. All of it… Even seeing all the good things again, that I've long since forgotten, didn't make it worth it. You will never do this again. Do I make myself clear?" When she didn't answer, I scowled and leaned closer. Martin tensed up.

"_Do I make myself clear?_"

She nodded weakly, and I grunted. I stalked out of the room and outside in the back porch to relieve some of my anger. There's a punching bag there, and I figured it would be better to punch that than some someone's face…

Why do all moms seem to have a huge problem with me, and wanna start shit? I mean, for _fuck's sake_! I must have done something _terrible_ in a past life or _something_!

**Author's Note-**

**This one seems kinda... crappy to me :/ I can't figure out what it is... I just... I don't like it.**

**But, whatever, I guess. I can always go back and rewrite it, when I stop being so lazy. Speaking of laziness, I am so sorry I've been leaving you guys in the dirt D: I have had the basic idea for this chapter in my head for a while now, but I never stopped and wrote it out. I could have been done with this three days ago, if I had wanted to be. But I didn't... and I have a good reason as to why...**

**Assassin's Creed: Revelations. That game is just so FFFFFf- Agh... it is amazing. It's not Skyrim, of course, but still... it is BAD-ASS. I highly recommend it.**

**Anywho, tell me if I made any mistakes, as always, and a thank you to all the people who read my little... monstrosity. I appreciate all of you. Fo' shizzle.**

**If you sneezed while reading this, bless _you_. Peace off and bless your face.**

_**, BlueAsh666**_


	15. Unfortunately not a chapter

**Hello readers! It's uh... It's been a while, huh? Hasn't it? It has... Way too long for my liking, but I have a reason! A valid reason this time, at least for the first bit, the other half doesn't really count as a valid reason...**

**So, guess what? About**** five-ish, six-ish, seven-ish days ago, I was in the last stage of making the last chapter thingy for the NotSoHoliday Spectacular thing, I was in the last stages of editing, it was all good, it was long. The longest yet, I think, around nine thousand words, I even went and done did squeezed this little thing in someone asked me to do, where Bear embarrasses Seth and Wire. There was a lot of stuff going on... A lot... and then, my fucking computer crashes and blows up, destroying ALL my** **hard work! All the blood, sweat, and tears that went into that final bloody chapter, all gone. All of it, within seconds.**

**As you can imagine, I was pretty damn upset. Lots of yelling, cursing, spitting, and punching of innocent walls took place when I found out. Wasn't my finest moment. And then the rest of the time, up until now, I've been... uh... I've been... pouting, pretty much. I didn't wanna have to write all of it again. I still don't, really, but I'm still gonna, 'cause I'm stupid...  
**

**So uh... yeah. That's it. Sorry about that. I'm gonna be working as fast as I can to finish it**. **Might be a bit, since I'm gonna be borrowing m****y** **bro's ****laptop to finish it, and he's a greedy little piece of butt. But I love him anyways, because he let's me borrow his crap.**

**Yup. That's it, I reckon. Thanks to everyone being so patient, and I hope you all have a damn good day, or night, depending on when you read this... because I sure as hell ain't gonna be ._. Homework, god I hate the stuff.**

**Peace off and bless your face. If you sneezed while reading this, bless _you_.**

_**BlueAsh666 **_**out.**


	16. NotTheHolidays Spectacular! The End

I'm not really sure how long I was out there, punching away and abusing the poor punching bag, but it must've been a while... When I finally stopped for a minute to catch my breath, I all but collapsed against the punching bag. Frustration bubbled up, and came out in a shout.

"Fuck!" I cursed loudly, before hitting my head on the punching bag. Man... I am just abusing this thing left and right...

Oh well. It's better this, than me doing all this to a person, like, for instance, Lydia.

I took a few deep breaths and tried to calm myself before stepping back to asses the damage. My hands were throbbing and burning, so I looked at them first. They were kinda raw and covered with blood... Whoops. I glanced back up at the punching bag, and saw blood smeared on it too.

Whatever, man. Fuck it, I don't care...

My forehead was coated in a thin layer of sweat, that was quickly began to freeze. Then I remembered just how fucking _cold_ it was. I could see my breath and stuff. God, it must be like, twenty four, maybe twenty five degrees out here... And as awesome as tank tops are, they don't do much to protect against the cold...

Vigil whined, and I turned my attention to him. I had taken off my shirt and wrapped it around him to keep him warm (or at least, warm_er_), but he was still shaking pretty badly. I picked him up, and he squirmed to get as close as he could.

Damn... I feel guilty now. Vigil is still just a puppy, he can't really handle the cold. When he's an adult, yeah, he'll be able to take it, but that's the thing. He's _not_ an adult yet, he's a freaking puppy. I completely forgot about that, and he was out here, in the bitter cold and stuff. I am just... I'm not a _good_ person.

Yeah... this _may_ have not been my best idea...

But at least I didn't end up punching anyone. This was the best thing I could have done, I think. The cold is good for me... helps clear my head, and helps me calm down.

Still though... Vigil, the poor guy, was and still is, freezing, and he didn't even complain or _anything_. I need to get the awesome fur ball inside. Like, right now. Fuck.

I got back into the house and set Vigil down on the floor before looking up to see Jack waiting for me...

Oh yay... I can already tell this is gonna suck... This is some fuckery.

"Hey Jack," I said quietly, "What's goin' on?" He shrugged.

"Oh, you know... Just hanging around, making sure you don't do anything stupid," He answered, "Which I failed... Jesus H. Christ, Wire what did you do to your hands? And what were you thinking, going outside in a fucking t-shirt and shorts? It's nineteen damn degrees outside!" Oh, is it really? I thought it was warmer... Eh, oh well. I shrugged meekly.

"Nothin'... don't worry about it." I mumbled, "I... I wasn't really thinking, I just had to get away and _not_ hurt someone." Jack sighed and began pulling me into the living room and onto the couch.

"Sit." He ordered sternly, "Stay. I'll be right back..." Vigil scrambled up onto the couch and snuggled into my side. I tried to smile at him, but I'm pretty sure it was a grimace. Shit... I should just leave right now, really. Jack's probably getting alcohol... I feel shitty enough, I don't need to have my hands feel like they're on fire, ya know?

By the time I decided to just go and lock myself into the piano room, Jack was back with some bandages, a small towel, and not alcohol, _god bless him_, but Neosporin. Guess today's not gonna _totally_ suck. Neosporin is the best stuff ever.

Jack sat down next to me and started to gently wipe the blood of my hands, and as he did that, I noticed something.

"Where is everyone?"

Jack grimaced. "Well, Alex, Sara, and Seth are talking with Martin and Lydia," He answered, "_What_ they're talking about, I don't know... if I had to guess, it's probably something about you. I'm still not _entirely_ sure though, I wanted to stay here and wait for you. And a good thing I did, huh? I bet you wouldn't have even _thought_ about wrapping up your hands if I wasn't here to make you..." I shrugged.

"Yeah, probably," I confirmed before sighing and looking up at the ceiling. "Jack, I... I screwed up, I think."

Jack snorted. "What? How in the hell did you screw up, kid?" ... Is he serious?

"Well, lets see," I chuckled without humor, "I threatened Lydia with death... That might be a pretty damn-fucking... argh-it... it wasn't a _good_ thing."

Jack rolled his eyes as he set down the towel and uncapped the Neosporin, squeezing some onto his hands and rubbing it into my raw hands. "Well, she damn-well deserved it. It really screwed you up... did you even _see_ what your eyes looked like? It was like looking in the eyes of a dead person... They _still_ look like it, sorta. Not as bad, but shit, you look like everyone you've ever cared about just died..." My lips twisted up with dark humor.

"Technically, I kinda did," I said dryly, "She made me relive all my nightmares, so yeah, I did just see everyone I care or cared about die, kinda sorta." Jack frowned and furrowed his eyebrow together as he gave me this look, before turning his attention to wrapping up my hands.

"Yeah, I know..." Jack murmured, glancing up at me, "You know, if you ever want to talk, I'm here, right? I can't _entirely_ relate to you, but I can more than most people. Me, and Alex, we're here for you." I gave a small smile, a real on this time.

"Yeah... yeah, I know," I told him, "Thank you... For real, thanks Jack." Jack finished tying up the bandages, and I wiggled and flexed my fingers. The gauze stayed firm. Damn... 'Jack had done a hella good job tying up my hands. He smiled and hugged me.

"Don't mention it," He said, "You and me, we've got more in common than anyone-"

-"Which means we have to stick together and help each other." I finished. Jack's smile widened and he nodded, letting me go.

"Exactly." He confirmed, adding as I stood up, "And Wire? You weren't wrong to threaten Lydia. She should consider herself lucky she was _only_ threatened. She deserved to get her ass kicked, doing that to you. Hell, and if you _had_ kicked her ass, I would've joined in on the ass-kickery." I smirked.

"What was that? 'Ass-kickery', eh?" I teased, "That sounds like something I would say..." Jack chuckled and ruffled my hair. I huffed and lightly pushed his shoulder.

"Not cool bro." I told him before standing up with a yawn, "Yo, I'm kinda gonna go into the Piano Room. You need help or anything?"

He shook his head. "Nah, I think we're good. You go play your little piano, I'll call you if something comes up." As I nodded and walked back to the room, I couldn't help but feel a little relieved. These past few days have... well, let's be a bit honest here; these past few days have kinda sucked. Mucho bad news, and fuckin' _emotions_ and shit. I swear man, the gods just _love_ to do their best to fuck with me...

But whatever man, it's just whatever. I closed the door and locked the door behind me before sitting on the piano bench, with Vigil curling up at my feet. I held my fingers over the piano, ready to play whatever came to mind, but nothing really came. And it annoyed me. It's not something that happens often. Guess maybe it's because I'm still a little down...

I need to fix that. I don't like being down. It sucks. But what the hell do I do? Shit... I slammed my head on the keys, filling the room with loud, broken chords. Vigil jumped and yelped, and I mumbled a small apology. He gave me a growl of annoyance that ended with a whine, and curled back up around my feet. I reached down and absently scratched his back, trying to think of what I do to get out of the dumps.

Usually, someone'll come and drag me out of my slump, whether I want them to or not; or I'll just sit around and wait it out, hoping I'll feel better soon... But that probably isn't going to work... Or if it does, it's gonna be a while. A long while. Far too long of a while... So yeah, not gonna work...

Well... there is this one thing I used to do... Not for me, understand, but I did it for Jason. He got scared a lot at night, when most of the Steel Guns would get drunk or high or whatever else they did. Not that I can really blame him, he was only a kid. With shit being thrown around, screaming, curses, random fist fights, and the occasional stray bullet shot, it was probably pretty fuckin' scary for him. So he would find me, and I would -don't fucking laugh- I would sing to him. Don't laugh, I know it's lame, but hell, it _worked_. He'd always want me to sing the same song. _Your Guardian Angel_ by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. It's an alright song, I guess. The only reason I sang it was because I heard it on the radio and it had been the only thing that had come to mind, and he hadn't wanted me to sing any other song since.

But yeah, he liked it. It always worked for him, maybe it'll work for me. It's worth a shot, I guess. I'm not really good at singing, I think. My voice is a bit lower than some girl's voices, and a little rough, a little scratchy; but hell, I really put feeling into it on the rare occasions that I _do_ sing. Jason was the only one who liked my voice; but he was also the only one who ever heard it... Maybe this is stupid. Yeah, it is, really stupid. I shouldn't do this...

But you know what -I'm the only person here, no one's gonna hear it, the walls in this room are sound-proof. I even know the chords for the song, and changed them to something a bit more fun for me to play. What's the worst that could happen? It could not work, but shit, I'm not gonna know if it will or won't if I don't try it. I'm doin' it, right now, before I chicken out.

I began playing the chords and took a deep breath. I got this, bro... I GOT THIS.

_When I see your smile, _

_Tears run down my face I can't replace_

_And now that I'm strong, I have figured out_

_How this world runs cold and it breaks through my soul_

_And I know, I'll find deep inside me, I can be the one.  
_

I paused for a few seconds to see if I felt any different. And holy shit... It's kinda sorta almost working. Well, hell, let's keep goin'! Kinda feel weird though... like I'm being watched... Nah, I always feel like that when I sing in here, even if the house is empty. It's probably just Vigil, he likes to watch me when I sing.

_I will never let you fall_

_I'll stand up with you forever_

_I'll be there for you through it all, _

_Even if saving you sends me to heaven._

_It's okay. It's okay. It's okay._

_Seasons are changing, and waves are crashing,_

_And stars are falling all for us._

_Days grow longer and nights grow shorter._

_I can show you I'll be the one._

Seriously now... that being watched feeling is getting stronger. Vigil needs to chill out with the staring. But whatever man, I'm on a fuckin' roll, I'll tell him when I stop.

_I will never let you fall_

_I'll stand up with you forever_

_I'll be there for you through it all,_

_Even if saving you sends me to heaven_

_Because you're my, you're my, my,_

_My true love, my whole heart, _

_Please don't throw that away_

_Because I am here, for you_

_Please don't walk away and please tell me you'll stay!_

_Use me as you will_

_Pull my strings just for a thrill_

_And I know I'll be okay,_

_Though my skies are turning gray..._

I had to stop and laugh. I glanced down at Vigil and grinned.

"Oh, the absurdity of it all, what am I doin', singing?" I chuckled, reaching down and rubbing his ear, "Okay- this is ridonkulous. I feel better, now I need to stop singing man, it just isn't my thing, am I right?" I looked down and saw him staring past me. What the- what is he lookin' at?

I felt a hand grip my shoulder, and I yelped, cursed, jumped back, and tried to lash back all at the same time, then fell to the floor. It probably looked pretty fuckin' hilarious, but it still kinda hurt. My leg was throbbing. Stupid-ass stitches... And I could've sworn I locked the door, who in the hell was that? Am I goin' crazy? Already?

"Wire! Wire, I am so sorry, are you alright?" Oh. Seth. _Of course_. Who else would it fuckin' b-

Wait, wait, wait... Seth? What? I looked up, and lo and behold, it _was_ Seth.

"What the fuck?" I asked, surprised, "What are you doin' here? I thought I was never gonna see you again..." Seth gave me a wry smile and cocked his head to the side before helping me back up onto the piano bench. I reached out and poked his cheek, just to make sure I wasn't crazy. Because really, that's getting to be a pretty big concern. Especially recently...

Seth grabbed my hand as I was pulling my hand away, and started to check out my gauze-covered hand. Dots of blood were soaking through, but it wasn't really a big deal.

"Why did you assume I was not coming back?" Huh?

"Uh... what now?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes and started tracing some of the scars on my hand with his fingers. "Why did you think I would not come back?" Oh! Oh... oh...

"Right, uh, well..." I said slowly, "I wasn't exactly in the most... optimistic mood, ya dig? And uh... how long have you been in the room...?" Seth smirked, and I felt dread bubble in my stomach as my face suddenly felt a few degrees too warm.

"Long enough..." Oh shit... Okay, it's cool, don't jump to conclusion, maybe he's only saying that...? It's cool, it's _all_ good.

"What did you hear?" I asked cautiously.

He shrugged. "More than you probably wished for me to. You should sing more, you know. You are quite good..." Okay, no, it's _not_ all good, shit! I scowled and grabbed the collar of his shirt as I tried to stop blushing.

"If you tell anyone about this," I threatened, "I will... I'll... I don't know what I'm gonna do, but you're not gonna mother-fucking like it! Not a word of this to _anyone_!" Seth chuckled and raised his arms in defeat.

"If that is what you want." He said softly.

"You better freakin' believe that's what I want." I muttered, only half-playing. I leaned back and rubbed my face under my glasses. Argh, I hate blushing.

"You know, when you blush, you look... What do you call it? 'Friggin' cute'...?" I dropped my hands and deadpanned at him, my eye twitching. God, why is murder illegal? It shouldn't be...

Heh, naw, I'm playing, I'd never purposely hurt him, but still. Seriously, he's an ass. And I don't appreciate being called cute. I'm not cute! I was a gang member for fucks sake! I've got scars on my scars, and shadows under my eyes, and callouses, and stuff.

"Say that again, watch what happens. I dare you." I told him. Seth smiled and leaned closer.

"When you blush, you look-" I didn't let him finish. I tackled him. But he seemed to be expecting it, so we rolled around on the floor for a while before I managed to get him down. I held his arms to the floor with my knees and smirked down at him.

"I warned you." I reminded him, leaning down and messing up his hair as he narrowed his eyes playfully.

He got this mischievous look on his face, and then phased one of his arms through my leg. That weird, pin-prick feeling ran up my leg, and then the bastard leaned up and kissed me. I was so surprised, he turned me over so that he was on top. I gaped at him and didn't even try to turn us back over.

"You stole my move." I said in disbelief, "Dude! That's _my_ move! _Mine_! You can't do that!" He smiled.

"Says who?" Oh no he didn't...

"Says who? I says, that's who." I said before bucking up. When he threw his arms out to keep his face from meeting the floor, I used momentum to toss him to his side and rolled on top of him. Instead of trying to pin him down, this time I just kinda sat there, because we _both_ knew that I was gonna get back on top. Might take a while, but I will. I've got skills bro.

I lightly flicked his nose. "So... it's all good? I can still see you and Sara, right? This isn't gonna be the last time I see you? 'Cause... I don't want it to be..." Seth nodded as he sat up, and I slid into his lap.

"Everything is fine." He assured me.

"Are you _sure_?" I pressed, "Everything? I find that really hard to believe, sorry. But really? Nothing's wrong? At all? You sure? 'Cause people tell me 'everything's fine' all the time, and you know what? Everything always ends up _not_ fine." Seth chuckled.

"Don't you trust me?" He asked. I raised an eyebrow. I should punch him for asking that...

"Dude, that's... that's a damn insult right there," I told him, "If I didn't, we probably wouldn't be here. Stupid question... Of course I fuckin' trust you."

"Then trust me when I tell you that everything is fine," He said with a growing smile, "Actually... It is more than fine; everything is great." I couldn't help but grin. His smile is hella infectious...

"Oh, so it's great now?" I asked, "Why, what happened? Do tell." Seth beamed and brushed his fingers over my cheek.

"Nothing, I just... My parents," He explained, almost giddily, "They approve of you." I raised an eyebrow.

"What, really?" I asked. When he nodded, I stopped to think for a few seconds before shrugging, "Okay. That's cool, I guess. I didn't really care if they did or not, but you did, so uh... yeah." He chuckled and nodded.

"I know you did not care, yet you still tried. Thank you..." Seth told me, "For both that, and for not harming my mother. I know that she hurt you and that she deserved anything you would have inflicted on her, but-"

"She's still your mom." I finished. "Yeah, I get it, I really do... Sometimes, I wanna beat the living shit out of Bear, he pisses me off so much, but I don't... No matter what he does, he's still the one who _really_ raised me once my dad died, and I would never hurt him or let anyone hurt him..." I sighed before adding, "But still, if I see her anytime soon, I _am_ beating her ass. I'm sorry, but that whole 'not hurting her' thing was a one time thing, and it was only because of you and Sara."

He nodded and shifted a bit uncomfortably. Not that I could blame him, really... Talking about beating up a person's mother probably isn't exactly the most easy-going and comfortable topic for people... Damn, now that I think about it, Seth _really_ is something else. And I mean that in the best way possible. Most people would get kind of defensive and angry if I were to say something like that.

"I know," He assured me quietly, "You will not be seeing her anytime soon... And I know it will not mean much, but my mother wanted you to know that she apologizes, and that if you are ever able to forgive her, she would like to meet with you again and start over." I laughed without humor and slowly shook my head.

"No. I'm sorry Sunshine, but that's not happening anytime soon. In a few years maybe, at the very least. I'm not a very forgiving person," I reminded him dryly. "To try something like that would be pushing your luck off a cliff and into a raging sea..." Seth gave a small smile.

"I understand, it's alright. You have every right to say so." He assured me before tilting my head up and lightly brushing his lips against mine. That tingle ran up my back and I let out a shaky breath as I shuddered. I couldn't help but smile a little, because damnit, it felt good.

"Sunshine, You feel that too, right?" I asked, "The tingly thing?" He nodded as I stood up, then pulled him up. He feels it too? Is... is it a bad thing?

"No, it is not a bad thing." He said, answering my thoughts. Oh. Okay... that's good. Because I was starting to kinda like it, and if it happened to be a _bad_ thing, then I definitely shouldn't have. But it's not, so I think I'm good. Cool.

"Alright then, awesome," I chuckled, "Let's get to gettin' then, yeah?" We started to walk towards the door, but then I had a thought, and grabbed Seth's arm, pulling him back.

Seth started to asked why I had pulled him back, but I cut him off by kissing him. It wasn't like a tongue-on-tongue kiss or anything, but it was still quite a bit more than a quick little peck on the lips. When I pulled away, I grinned at the pink-faced Seth, who smiled back.

"Sorry, sorry," I apologized, even though I really wasn't. "I couldn't help it... I swear, one of these days, I am just gonna _sex you up_, goddamn..." Seth's face exploded with red, and I laughed.

I am _good_. That was still just a joke, though...

... Mostly.

* * *

So, apparently, everyone had set up the decorations while I was in the Piano Room, the fuckers. I had wanted to help, but I guess it was too late now. Damnit...

_BAM!_

Vigil and I both jumped up about three feet off the couch and yelped. I fell on the floor, and Vigil only _just barely_ kept from following me down. Everyone tried not to laugh.

"Ow! Goddamnit!" I yelled, "The fuck was that?"

"It's Christmas in Hollywood, Santa's back up in the hood, so meet me under the mistletoe, let's fu-uck!" I closed my eyes and groaned in annoyance. Oh lordy...

"Bear! Is that really appropriate?" I called. I heard Bear's husky laugh.

"You know it!" I rolled my eyes and picked myself up off the ground. Bear was wearing red camouflaged fatigues, black combat boots, and a white wife-beater under a red zip-up hoodie. And, of course, topped it all off with a classic Santa hat, a grey backpack that was slung over his shoulder, with a lit cigar in his mouth. All in all, he was like a younger, more muscular, and more bad-ass Santa without a beard.

I _tried_ to be a little annoyed at Bear, but I just couldn't. The bastard was just too damn happy, it was coming off him in _waves_, I swear. It was infectious, and I couldn't help but smile. I walked around the couch and was engulfed in Bear's huge arms.

"Christmas, woo!" Bear cheered. I laughed and reached up, rubbing the top of his head like he was a huge dog.

"Sup bro! Merry Christmas and all that. Why didn't you come sooner, you fucker?" I chuckled as he set me down, "And what's in the bag?"

Bear started to answer, but then trailed off when he noticed Alex glaring daggers at him. "What'd I do?" He asked meekly. Alex huffed.

"Bear..." Alex said with warning in her voice, "Cigar. _Inside_." Oh. Oh, I know what it is.

I reached up and took the cigar out of his mouth. "No smoking in the house," I reminded him playfully, "That is a _no-no_! Bad Bear!" Bear groaned in disappointment and took back the cigar before rubbing it out on the leg of his pants, then shoving the remains of it into his pocket. I raised an eyebrow. "Thaaat's not very clean or sanitary..."

Bear pointedly ignored me and stared at the boxes under the Christmas tree. "You didn't open your presents yet!" He said, surprised, "Are you _sick_? That's always the first thing you do on Christmas!" I shrugged and lightly punched his tree trunk-sized bicep.

"Only if I happen to _have_ presents to open," I corrected, before adding, "But yeah, I know. You're right... I was a bit preoccupied this morning. Just couldn't find the time." Yup. I was too busy getting all my memories sucked out of me and reliving everything. And then mutilating my poor hands. But, uh... Bear don't need to know that. I'm better now, and it's all good.

"Well, ya do now, so get to it!" Bear urged excitedly, "And open mine first!" I chuckled as he pushed me towards the tree.

"Alright, alright, chill!" I told him, "I will! Just let me go upstairs and get my stuff and hand 'em out first, ya nutter." He groaned in disappointment, but picked up Vigil and let me go upstairs. I heard Bear, Jack, Alex, Sara, and Seth start up some small talk as I hobbled up the stairs as fast as I could.

I couldn't help but get excited and grin to myself stupidly as I stumbled into my room and kneeled down to the foot of the bed, pulling out two rawhide bones and three boxes that were around six inches around, and wrapped in paper that I decorated myself. I had painted the silhouette of a city in front of a dark blue sky, and the windows were lit, as well as the occasional star that brightened up the sky. Alex's was easy to figure out how to decorate too; I just painted the nigh sky. I had even taken the time to make all the stars in the right places. All the constellations were there, as well as some shooting stars. Bear's was a little harder to figure out; but I got it in the end. Bear _loves_ video games. If it weren't for him, I probably would have never gotten into them. Mario, some Pokemon, Master Chief from Halo, a Hunter and a Smoker from Left for Dead, Kratos for God of War, and quite a few others ranging from a zombie horde, to thugs, to aliens, all chased each other around the wrapping paper. There's more, but I really went all out on this one, and there's just too much stuff to name, and I'm too lazy.

I paused for a moment before reaching back down and pulling out two more -plain- boxes. I had been planning on giving them to Sara and Seth if I ever saw them again (But to be honest, I hadn't planned on seeing them so soon, if ever again.) and well... here they are. Even better, and definitely more convenient, they just got here on _Christmas_.

I held the bones in one hand, and balanced the boxes in my arms as I carefully made my way downstairs. When Jack saw all the boxes in my arms, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Woah... I thought you were just gonna give us cards or something," Jack confessed sheepishly before throwing his arms up to catch, and avoid a box to the face, "When did you even _get_ gifts?" I shrugged before handing everyone else theirs, then tossing a bone to Junkyard and then Vigil as Alex, Jack, and Bear carefully unwrapped the boxes.

"Sorry about no wrapping on your guys' gifts," I apologized to Seth and Sara, "Those were for if ever saw you guys again, and I wasn't expecting to see you two so soon..." Sara looked up from the box and smiled at me.

"I am honestly surprised you had _anything_ for us. Wrapping doesn't matter anyways," She assured me, "It's the thought that counts." I nodded and stood by a little nervously as they opened the boxes.

Jack let out a loud, surprised curse as he pulled the small, hand-carved, wooden statue of a bull. "Holy shit!" I made a face and my shoulders slouched forward. Aw man...

"You don't like it...?" I asked meekly. Jack snorted as Alex gasped, having pulled away the colored paper and seeing what was in the box.

"_Shut up!_ Don't like it? Are you kidding? It's awesome!" He exclaimed, grinning at me.

I perked up, pleasantly surprised. "Oh, I, uh... really? That's great! Fan-fucking-tastic!" Alex beamed as she pulled out a similar statue, only it was a rearing horse instead of a bull about to charge.

"Where did you get these? They're bad-ass!" Bear exclaimed as he pulled out a (no duh) bear statue standing on it's hind legs and roaring. I grinned and rubbed my neck at the compliment.

"I... I sorta, kinda..." Man, I don't really wanna say it and risk getting all... bashful and shit. I can just say I bought them, instead of telling them I carved-

-"You carved these yourself!" Sara exclaimed. Shit. Right... Sara reads minds. Whoops. I shrugged and continued to smile and rub my neck sheepishly as my cheeks burned a little. I try not to blush, really I do, but sometimes I just can't help it.

"Yeah, yeah I did." I admitted, stepping a little closer to the back of the couch and looking at Sara's little bust of Junkyard, and Seth's cheetah statue, "I know, I have no life. But hey, having no life pays off, eh? I put a lot of time into those, and they turned okay, didn't they?" Bear laughed and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

"Some things never change," He chuckled, "You're still that shy, humble little girl I knew way back... Now, go and open your presents. Mine first! It's the best! Actually-wait, no, open it last! Save the best for last!" I rolled my eyes as I grabbed the two boxes under the tree, which, by the way, are two more than I've usually gotten in the past few years on Christmas. Another reason I was so excited for this Christmas.

Of course, I've gotta give Bear a little credit. He technically _did_ always get me something for Christmas, I was just never able to get them until a month or two later. Jae always had the Steel Guns pull their biggest heists around Christmas, which, to be honest, is actually pretty smart. I never took part in them, of course, but around that time, all the transport was either gone, or the guy who drove me to Bear's place, Khail, was too smashed to take me. Khail was one of the few decent guys in that gang. He had a fondness of alcohol, though, and when he was drunk, he was a blubbering, sobbing mess. I could never figure out the entire reason he was sobbing, all I could figure out that he was crying over some girl named Elizabeth. But when he wasn't drunk, he was a pretty nice guy. He had an alcohol addiction, but still nice.

What am I doing? God... just reminiscing all over the place, geeze... I need to stop and open my presents. Yeesh.

I ripped open the first one from Jack and Alex, looked inside, then grinned.

"Holy shit," I said slowly, "Is that what I think it is?" I pulled out the curved, six inch knife and casually slipped my pinkie into the ring at the bottom of the handle before spinning it around and catching it. My grin grew as Jack laughed.

"You know it is!"

"Aw hell, this is sexy!" I exclaimed happily, spinning the curved blade on my palm before popping it up and grabbing it by the handle, "It is just a piece of _sex_, oh my god! This is sweet! _Thank_ you!"

Jack started to say something, but Bear cut in. "Okay, okay, now open mine!" I rolled my eyes, but smiled as I picked up the box. It was kinda narrow, but long... That sounded kind of sexual...

Where was I? Right, the box... There wasn't any wrapper on it, it was really just a plain box. From the look on Bear's face, it must be like the holy grail or something.

I used my new knife to cut open the box, to see bubble wrap, and lots of it. At first, for whatever reason, I thought that was it. That was my present, just the bubble wrap. And... I was okay with that. It really doesn't take much to please me...

After a few seconds passed, and I had taken some bubble wrap and started popping it, Bear something and slapped his forehead in exasperation.

"As awesome as bubble wrap is," He sighed, "That isn't your gift. Look _in_ the bubble wrap."Oh... That kinda makes a little sense.

Ignoring the snickers from Jack and Alex, I moved away the bubble wrap, and my jaw just about hit the floor.

"No way... Are you fo' shizzle...?" I breathed. Bear beamed.

"Yup. I am totes fo' shizzle."

Jack sat up a little and tried to see what was in the box. "What? What is it?"

Seth and Sara sat up now too, their curiosity being peaked, and asked me what it was as well, but I ignored them and shared a look with Bear.

"She or he?" I asked. Bear chuckled.

"He."

I nodded and looked back down into the box, "Yeah, I kinda figured. It looked like a he... What's his name?"

"Seriously, what is _he_?" Alex cut in. Bear and I continued to ignore her.

"Hostilius." Bear answered. I gave a chuckle that bordered on being manic.

"I love him." I breathed, reaching down and running a finger down the leather before looking back up at Bear and grinning.

Bear grinned back. "I knew you would."

"What-or who- is _he_?" Jack asked impatiently. I grabbed the handle and pulled Hostilius out of his sheath as I lifted up the Roman sword to show off. The pommel was shaped like an eagle, and a running wolf pack was carefully carved into the cross-guard. The blade of the sword curved into a point and shone brightly in the light. The edges of the blade was lighter and fashioned into looking like frost, or fire, was crawling to the center of the blade. All in all, it was abso-fucking-lutely sexy.

"_He_ is Hostilius. My gladius. And he is painfully sexy... _Argh, nergasm..._" I picked up the box and tossed it to Bear. "Hold this out for me please..."

When he did, I swung my sword through the cardboard. It stayed intact for about half second, then slid to the floor.

"I am a _god_!" I laughed, a bit maniacally, "I'm a fuckin' god! A sexy god with a sexy gladius! Whoo!" After a few minutes of swinging Hostilius around, I slid the sword back into leather sheathe and tossed the strap over my shoulder as Bear fumbled in his backpack for something.

When he pulled out a small box, I cocked my head to the side. "What's that?"

Bear tossed it over to me. "Read it and find out. It's for you." I turned the box around in my hands until I got to the front. The first thing I noticed was a centurion's helmet, then I read the words to myself out loud.

"_Trojan: Her pleasure Latex Cond_-AHHH!" I quickly threw the box out of my hands, not caring where it went, and held my hands out like I had just touched a pile of crap. "DUDE! WHAT THE BUNCH OF BALLS? What, WHY?" Bear smiled sheepishly, and I noticed Seth reaching down to grab the condoms. My palm slapped to my face and I groaned.

Oh fuckin' fuckery... How high do you think the chances of Seth and Sara knowing what condoms do, are?

Yeah... I don't think they chances are very high either...

"What are condoms?" This time, _both_ of my hands met my face. Jack and Alex stumbled to answer as Bear watched on with amusement.

Why can't Jack just be blunt? I mean really, he's probably just making things all confusing for them. And judging from the looks on Sara and Seth's face, my assumptions were correct... I sighed before speaking up. "They're things that go on your penis."

Everyone turned to stare at me, and I shrugged under their stares before continuing. "You put them on before sex so the girl doesn't get pregnant. Or so you don't transfer... _diseases_ and stuff." Seth's eye twitched, and the box fell out of his hands before he kicked the box off to the side, shuddering in disgust.

Bear made a worried noise. "Look, I want you guys to be safe when you have se-"

"WE'RE _NOT_ GONNA HAVE SEX!" I paused moment and glanced back at Seth before adding quietly, "Until we're at least eighteen... _Other_ stuff, maybe, but not sex." Seth's face darkened, and I bit back laughter before wiggling my eyes suggestively. His face got even redder, and Bear and I snickered to ourselves.

You know what...? I think I figured it out. The god(s), karma, mystical forces, or whatever the hell they are, they _do_ like to fuck with me... But they always find some way to make it up to me later on, for putting up with their crap...

I think... I think I can dig it.

Bear pulled out a photo album and beamed. "So, who wants to look at Wire's baby pictures and when she was growing up?" I glared down Bear. No. _Hell_ no, he is not showing everyone my baby pictures. No one probably wants to see them anyways...

"I would like to see them." I turned and glared sharply at Seth. Damn him...

"No. No you wouldn't." I corrected stiffly. As Seth smirked at me, Alex and Jack spoke up.

"Actually, Wire, he does. And so do I." Jack told me, biting back a laugh. I lifted my middle finger to him.

"I'd like to see too." Alex added. I turned to her and stared her down. _No_ one is seeing them!

Sara smiled at Bear. "I would like to see as well." God. Damnit.

* * *

-The Next Morning-

My eyes opened, only to be shut again, quickly, hissing is pain.

"Fuck, it's bright..." I groaned. Whatever I was laying my head on shifted, and the blinding light left, and I forced my eyes open again as I lifted my head a bit to look around.

"Is that better?" I grimaced and let my head fall back down as a massive head ache hit me.

"Goddamnit, you don't need to yell." I croaked, stopping to give a few dry and rather painful coughs. The surface I was laying on moved again, and I heard the quiet tinkle of ice hitting ice. I looked up, and saw a glass of water in my face, and a hand holding a white pill.

"Swallow this and drink." Ugh... gods, I feel awful... My throat feels like a desert. You don't need to tell me twice. I reached up with a shaky hand and grabbed the pill before swallowing it dry, and then the water. I sat up, with help, and gulped down half of the glass before it was pulled away. I whined and reached for it feebly, before giving up. I rubbed my eyes then looked up, meeting two very familiar, light blue eyes that reminded me of ice. I fell against the owner of said eyes and winced as another wave of pain assaulted my head.

"My head hurts," I whimpered as hands rubbed small circles into my back, "This feels too familiar... Seth, am I hung over?"

"I'm afraid so... Do you need anything?" I need a lot of things... I need my headache to go away, preferably forever. I need my stitched up leg to stop twitching. I need the world to stop spinning. But he probably means something he can actually _do_, so uh... more water would be nice, I guess.

"Water...?" I asked, my voice cracking. He lightly pushed me away and handed me the glass. He started to tell me to drink slowly, but I ignored him and finished the glass before he could finish talking. Seth rolled his eyes and pulled the glass out of my hands.

"You need to take better care of yourself..." He scolded lightly. I snorted and let myself fall back down. This boy... I would be amused if my head didn't hurt so damned much.

I heard Seth chuckle as he laid back down, and I raised an eyebrow. "Laughing at my misery, eh?" I asked, half serious, half playing. He shook his head and kissed my forehead. When he was pulling away, I noticed something.

"Of course no-"

"Wait a fuck." I cut in, putting on hand over his mouth with one hand, and rubbing my eyes with the other, to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

I put my hand on his chest. And that was just it... It was his _chest_. No shirt or _anything_. What the fuck...? Should I... be worried? I think I should... I looked down and breathed a sigh of relief.

We both still have our pants on... Awesome. And I've still got a tank top on. Bonus points! This is great... now all I need is for my head to stop throbbing and pulsing and shit, and I'll be good to go...

Then I noticed something else.

"Seth... you have a hickey..." I said slowly, reaching up and running my fingers over the purplish-red, quarter sized mark on his neck. Did I do that? I think I did... The only other possibilities are that Sara gave it to him; and that choice is scratched out because she's his sister, or that Alex did it; but then that's also scratched out because she's way older and dating Jack. Or Seth could have went and bought a whore, but... that seems a little unlikely.

"Yes, uh... You um..." He paused to clear his throat before continuing unsurely, "Bear and I got you in your room, and as soon as Bear left, you uh..." He trailed off, and his face turned pink.

"Yeah, I got it. You don't need to finish that sentence." I told him. He nodded gratefully, and his face gradually went back to its normal color. I waited a few minutes before back to my neck and raised an eyebrow. "So do I, uh... do I have one too?" Seth's face turned pink again, and he gave me a guilty look.

"Yes... I apologize. I got caught up in the moment, and it just... happened. I tried to stop you at first, but... you, I um... You were very... convincing, while intoxicated. But I swear, that is all that had happened. I would never take advantage of you." His face got darker. My eye twitched and I let out a frustrated curse.

"I-I sincerely apologize, I had gotten caught up in the moment, and-"

"Dude, shut _up_." I groaned, slapping my palm to forehead. "You think I'm mad because you gave me a hickey? Hell no... and even if I _was_, I couldn't yell at you for it, 'cause I gave you one too. I'm pissed that I don't fucking _remember_ any of it!" I gave an exasperated sigh. "I, and _you_, shit! Of _all_ the things I'd want to remember, _that_ would be it. And I don't. _Nuts!_" Seth looked like he was _trying_ to be sympathetic or something, but he was failing... And also just barely holding back laughter.

Argh... What _do_ I remember...? I gotta think... what was the last thing I did last night?

~flashback~

_I stumbled into the kitchen, still chuckling from a joke that was told a few moments ago, hearing laughter from the living room become muffled. My quiet laughter was cut off from a small fit of coughing. When I was done coughing, I reached for my throat and grimaced. Damn... I need a drink. My throat is dry as _fuck_. Agh..._

_I looked around the kitchen, and grinned when I caught sight of a pitcher filled with a red liquid. I walked closer and smelled it. Kinda smells like cranberry juice, and a few other fruits that I can't really pick out. I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure Jack and Alex had some of this stuff in a crystal glass before they left Sara, Seth, Bear and I to go upstairs to do I-don't-want-to-know what. They might not want me to drink it..._

_What the hell, let's drink some. If they really hadn't wanted me to drink any, they would have put it back, or at least put a piece of paper over the to of the pitcher with '_This isn't for you, Wire_' written on it, or something. Lets drink some._

_So I got a pretty big glass (I was thirsty) and filled it up, then took a sip. It tingled my throat a little bit as it went down, but I figured it was just from my throat being dry, so to fix that, I chugged the whole thing down. It tasted pretty good, maybe just needed a little honey, and it burned more intensely after I swallowed the last of it. I coughed and gagged a bit, then grabbed the counter as the world shifted._

_So... this is where I kinda got stupid. I still thought I was just dehydrated or something. But see, that wasn't the case... It wasn't that I was dehydrated, it was the drink. The drink was mixed with Vodka. And to be honest, I should have known it. I've drunken alcohol before, out of curiosity, when I was still with the Steel Guns in that damned warehouse. It was easy to sneak out of the hands of the smashed dude that was passed out into a heap in the doorway. And to be honest, it wasn't really all that good. But I still finished the rest of the bottle... And I regretted it so much the next morning..._

_But, uh, that's besides the point. The point is, the drink was alcohol. And I could've, and should've, recognized it. But I didn't. Maybe I just couldn't handle alcohol as good as I thought I could, or I was still a little drained from the mind invasion from Lydia, or maybe I'm just thick. But no matter. I didn't realize it, so I refilled the (big-as-hell) glass, and finished another glass. Then filled it again, though only half way this time, and took sips out of it as I stumbled back into the living room._

_It was the oddest thing, really. It was like the floor just kept _jumping_ from side to side, and I was having a hell of a time trying to stay straight on it. And the glass I had, it kept hopping around in my grasp, like it was trying to escape, and the contents were swishing around in the glass, spilling onto my hand. And another thing; I couldn't stop laughing. It was the most hilarious thing, the world was spinning and moving around, and everything felt oddly... foggy. It was all psychedelic, really. I was having a ball._

_I managed to get over to Seth, and grinned at him, trying to keep fits of laughter down. "Sshunshine! Dude! Hash you everrr... fuck, what'sh it, been in a fisht fight?" I busted out laughing and clutched my stomach as Seth watched me curiously, and a bit amusedly, "Pffft-it'sh... Damnit- I fergot what I wash gonna say..." I leaned against him to attempt to keep from collapsing to the ground, but it didn't really end up doing me any good. I ended up with my head in his lap, laughing giddily._

_"Are you alright?" Seth asked me, fighting off smiles, "You are acting... odd." Bear reached over and pulled the cup from my glass and took a sip. He froze, and turned to me._

_"Wire... how many cups of this did you drink...?" Bear asked cautiously. I found that _hilarious_ for some reason__, and giggled like a little kid._

_"Three cupsh, filled to the tippy top! Pfffffft- tippy! Get it?" I fell into a fresh wave of almost hysterical laughter. I could hear bear let out an exasperated breath._

_"Oh boy... Wire is _not_ gonna have a fun time tomorrow morning..."_

~End Flashback~

So, I remember pretty much nothing. Fuckery...

I glanced up at Seth, who was watching me with an amused expression, "So... other than making out, what else did I do?" He cocked his head to the side and thought for a minute before answering.

"Well... not _too_ much," He told me, "Mainly laughing at odd things, and talking nonsense. Oh, and you sang quite a bit with Bear." He grinned before adding, "You were quite good at it, even though you were intoxicated." I scowled playfully and poked his cheek.

"Shut up." I muttered, and then a thought hit me. "Hey, uh... where's Vigil?" Seth raised an eyebrow and gestured behind me. I reached back and felt fur under my fingertips, and then a tail lightly thumping against my leg. I chuckled. "Hey buddy. How are you?" I asked. I didn't turn over, because if I did, I'd crush him.

I heard him give a small yip, then give a long yawn that ended in a whine. I smiled. "Yeah, I know, right? I'm tired too. Give me a sec, and I'll see if we can go back to sleep." I assured him, "And even if _I_ can't, you can, so don't worry 'bout it." I looked back at Seth, silently asking if I could sleep some more, and said alien rolled his eyes as he fought off a smile.

"Yes, you can stay and sleep. I'll go get you some more water." He told me before moving to get up.

As he was just about to push himself up and off the bed, I grabbed his arm and pulled him back, not planning on letting him go any time soon. I nuzzled the crook of his neck and grinned to myself.

"Nope, you're not goin' anywhere, sorry." I informed him, "You're pale alien booty is staying right here."

Seth sighed. "Wire..."

"Seth..." I mocked good-naturedly, before adding, "Seriously, just stay here for little, please. Just until I fall asleep. Then you can squeeze out and do whatever the hell you want. You can go buy a pony for all I care, just... stay. And _please_ don't argue, my headache's bad, and I'm not gonna be able to come up with any good comebacks..."

He was still for a few seconds, then he relaxed against me. I breathed a sigh of relief and let my eyes slide closed. I mumbled a thank you as I quickly drifted off.

But, before I did, I made damn sure to add something that I hadn't gotten around to telling him yet.

"You know... you're more fit than I thought you'd be... You're pretty hot, Sunshine."

I was out of it before he could even react. Which kind of upsets me, because his reaction was probably pretty funny...

**Author's Note-**

**Let me start off by saying, you all have the right to curse me out for taking so long, I would most certainly deserve it. I have a few excuses for it, though. In the past... month, I think, I have been down in Georgia for a week without any internet access of any kind. I've been to court twice; once for family support, and another for a child custody case. ****And the latest one, a few weeks ago, my brother was talking about killing himself, so I would stay up until four AM just talking to him, and then sleep for an hour and a half, go to school, then come home and pass out, wake up around six or seven, shower, and then talk to him again. And that schedule went on for a week. I was exhausted... Still am, a little bit, but I still got this done. Woo... **

**Okay. You all can curse me out and insult me now c: I'll take it, 'cause I kinda deserve it. But still... my brother means more to me than this story, I'm afraid.**

**Alright, now that that's out of the way, let's get on with it. This is the VERY last chapter of OTRE. So no more. Zilch. Zero. I am officially done. And gotta say, this whole thing has just been amazingly fun. Every last bit of it. If I could personally thank all the people who read my lame little story, I would. All of you guys are amazing, every last one of you, fo' shizzle. It's been amazing. This was my first story, ever. I honestly didn't expect much to happen. Maybe a few people here and there would read it, but that was it. Not only are people actually reading it, but you've been reviewing, and favoriting, and all this other stuff, and actually _liking_ it. It's just... amazing. I love all of you guys, and appreciate every one of, I swear it. **

**And that's about it, really :) Other than the fact it's my birthday. Well, and hour away from it, really, but who's keeping track? I am, but that's besides the point... March 24, yay! I'm old now! I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, it's been fun, even though it took forever. Hope you all have a fan-fucking-tastic day!**

**Now, I'm gonna go sleep for a day and a half :D As always, tell me if I made any kind of mistakes, and I'll get to it as soon as I can and fix it.  
**

_Thanks for reading. Peace off and bless your face. If you sneezed while reading this, bless_ you_. Peace off.__  
_

**,_BlueAsh666_  
**


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